As Sacred Games season 2 release nears, Netflix is finally rolling out mobile-only cheaper plan in India

Aiming at India's price-sensitive market witnessing a surge in smartphone consumption, popular OTT streaming platform Netflix is finally introducing a mobile-only, cheaper plan in the country, Reuters reports. Interestingly, Netflix's decision to introduce an affordable plan in India comes as its popular original series Sacred season 2 release nears. All the episodes of Sacred Games season 2 are dropping on Netflix on August 15. Netflix has been testing a cheaper Rs 250 mobile-only monthly subscription plan in India since March.

Watch the trailer of Netflix's Sacred Games season 2:

READ | Sacred Games 2: Netflix India takes a hilarious dig at themselves by sharing this epic 'Gaitonde' meme!

"We believe this plan ... will be an effective way to introduce a larger number of people in India to Netflix and to further expand our business in a market where Pay TV ARPU is low," Netflix said.

Why is Netflix introducing an affordable plan?

There are many reasons as to why Netflix could be introducing a cheaper plan in India as Netflix has always been the costliest streaming platform in the country. First up, ever-increasing competition from other OTT streaming platforms in India like Disney-owned Hotstar, Amazon Prime Video, ZEE5, etc. As more OTT streaming platforms join the on-going price war, Netflix probably wants to strengthen its foothold in India's price-sensitive market.

Currently, Netflix has three monthly plans to offer: Rs 500, Rs 650 and Rs 800. Meanwhile, Hotstar yearly subscription costs Rs 999, and its monthly plan is priced at Rs 299. Although Amazon Prime yearly subscription comes at the price of Rs 999 while the monthly subscription costs Rs 129. However, Amazon Prime subscription includes certain logistical benefits as well as ad-free access to Amazon Prime Music service.

"We have been seeing nice steady increases in engagement with our Indian viewers that we think we can keep building on. Growth in that country is a marathon, so we are in it for the long haul," Netflix said.

During the announcement, Netflix also announced its quarterly results. Notably, Netflix reported the rate at which people subscribed to Netflix was lower than expected during the stipulated period.