What should Netflix do?

The much-awaited Netflix launch in India has finally happened. Streaming video enthusiasts are excited about the move, but the question is - are we really ready for a service like this?

Well, possibly yes and no. Over the last few years, various services similar to Netflix have been introduced in India, with varying degrees of success - spuul, bigflix, boxtv and a few others as well. Telecom providers such as Airtel have their own offerings such as Wynk movies. Given all this, how likely is Netflix to succeed?

In Netflix's favour are:

• Growing population of internet users in India (Report: India to surpass US in terms of internet users)
• Anytime, anywhere access - The need for binge watching and instant gratification of the need to watch the next episode
• 4G rollouts round the corner from Vodafone and Reliance Jio 

However, more than slow and patchy internet and the threat of (eventual) regulation and censorship, what can Netflix do to change the mindset of the Indian consumer, whose core belief is, "Instead of spending INR 500 on a Netflix subscription, why don't I simply upgrade my broadband pack and download a few extra torrents?"

There are multiple strategies that might actually work well for the streaming company:

1. Bundles of joy - It might be worthwhile to partner with service providers and launch some kind of 'Netflix packs' on both - mobile internet as well as broadband. Since streaming can be data intensive (approx 3GB per hour of HD content), one would need a large enough data pack. And I think service providers stand to gain more from partnering with Netflix than through obtaining rights for their own native apps.
2. Price for parity - This should probably have been top of my list. In a price-sensitive market, where other apps have plans ranging from INR 100 to INR 300 (largely), Netflix's cheapest plan is nearly twice of that. Unsustainable for sure. They need to consider purchasing-power-parity for sure.  Also, why the shortchange? The US has over 4000 movies and TV shows, and India gets less than 10% of that, for the same price? 
3. Content is still king - Get regional content providers on board and see the difference. If Hindi and other regional languages are on-boarded, the subscriber base is likely to shift drastically. Also, it might be worthwhile to enter into exclusive partnerships with content providers to provide 'Netflix only' content.
4. Freemium, anyone? Netflix, how about introducing a freemium model, where you give out some shows for free and the full subscription is paid?
5. Let's take it offline - We are still some distance away from consistent high speed data connections. Why not throw in a few GB worth of offline storage to enable travellers and commuters to watch as well? (YouTube did that, didn't they?)
6. Partner for success - Slightly different point from the one on bundling. But, why not build linkages with mobile phone companies and TV manufacturers to give people Netflix access right out of the box?
7. Innovate, innovate, innovate - How about experimenting with ideas like 'weekend packs' or 'movies on demand', where users can buy limited content that fits their needs and also their pockets? And, instead of online payments, what if bills could be charged to their phone/internet bills?

One thing we've learned in the last few years is that disruption is always around the corner. Netflix disrupted the erstwhile paradigm of consuming video content. Can it do it again, in a complex market like India?