Netflix clears the air on Rs 250 mobile-only beta plan for India

US-based video streaming service Netflix is currently testing a new Rs 250 subscription plan in India – which is also its most affordable plan in the world. A basic Netflix plan starts at Rs 500 a month in India, which is relatively a lot more expensive than counterparts from Amazon (Rs 999 a year) and Hotstar (Rs 365 a year). A Rs 250 monthly plan should theoretically help Netflix break new subscriber ground (making it, as Netflix puts it, more accessible) in a price sensitive market like India. 

Being a test or beta release, there are a couple of things that need to be understood here – it is important to understand that Netflix hasn’t officially launched a new Rs 250 subscription plan for India. Netflix, in fact, may never launch a new Rs 250 subscription plan for India, which won’t be surprising since last we heard, founder and CEO Reed Hastings “had no plans for cheaper prices in India." Secondly, not all Netflix users in India will be able to access it – and not everyone will be able to access it simultaneously.  

“We are always looking for ways to make Netflix more enjoyable and accessible. We will be testing different options in select countries where members can, for example, watch Netflix on their mobile device for a lower price and subscribe in shorter increments of time. Not everyone will see these options and we may never roll out these specific plans beyond the tests,” a Netflix spokesperson said in an email statement to Republic World. "This mobile-only plan is only a test - it is not the rollout of a new plan or a price cut."

Should the new Rs 250 plan pop-up as an option for you in the days to come, remember, you’re one of the select few individuals randomly selected by Netflix to test the new plan.  

Being the most affordable plan in Netflix’s lineup comes with a few caveats – for one, it is mobile only which means chances are a large chunk of iOS users may never be able to see/use it (since you can’t access account settings and change them on iOS unless of course you head over to the Web), and content streaming quality should be standard definition or lower. 

To refresh, Netflix officially offers three plans in India - 

-Basic (Rs 500): SD (standard definition) and you can stream simultaneously on 1 device 

-Standard (Rs 650): HD (high definition) and you can stream simultaneously on 2 devices 

-Premium (Rs 800): Ultra HD (high definition) and you can stream simultaneously on four devices        

Also Read:  Netflix Finally Brings Smart Downloads Feature To IPhone And IPad. Here's How It Works