Netflix launches free plan in Kenya to boost growth – ProWellTech

Netflix announced on Monday that it was launching a free cellular plan in Kenya as the global streaming giant seeks to tap into the East African nation of over 20 million internet users.

The free plan, which will roll out to all users in Kenya in the coming weeks, doesn’t require any payment information to sign up, the company said. The new plan is available to anyone aged 18 and over with an Android phone, the company said. It won’t contain any ads either.

Netflix, which is available in over 190 countries, has experimented with a number of schemes in recent years to lure customers in developing countries. For example, the company began testing a $ 3 mobile-only plan in India in 2018 – before expanding to users in several other countries.

Nor is this the first time Netflix has offered its service for free – or at little or no price. The company has previously sponsored free trials in many markets, offered a tiny fraction of its original movies and shows to non-subscribers, and ran at least one campaign in India when the service was available for free over the course of a weekend.

But his latest offering in Kenya is still noteworthy. The company told Reuters that it is making about a quarter of its catalog available to users on the free plan in the East African nation for movies and television shows.

“If you’ve never seen Netflix – and a lot of people in Kenya haven’t – this is a great way to experience our service,” wrote Cathy Conk, Director of Product Innovation at Netflix, in a blog post.

“And if you like what you see, you can easily upgrade to one of our paid plans so that you can enjoy our full catalog on your television or laptop.”

The company did not reveal how long it would offer this free tier in Kenya – and whether it is considering expanding this offer to other markets.

On his past phone calls, Netflix executives insisted that they research each market and find ways to make their service more attractive to everyone. The ability to log in without payment information gives credibility to such claims. Many people in developed countries do not have a credit or debit card, which makes services that require such payment instruments to register with them unattractive.

The new push to attract customers comes because the company, which also plans to add mobile games to its offering, only added 1.5 million paying net subscribers, less than expected in the quarter that ended this June. Netflix, which has over 209 million subscribers, as well as Amazon Prime Video and other streaming services, are increasingly trying to attract customers outside of the US in order to maintain faster growth rates.

Earlier this year, Amazon launched a free and ad-supported video streaming service on its shopping app in India to appeal to more customers.