Netflix Will Cancel Your Subscription If You Are Not Watching; 60% Indians Don’t Want To Pay To OTTs

With easy access to internet services, the Over-The-Top (OTT) platforms like Amazon Prime, Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar have gained popularity and become the preferred means of consuming video content. As per reports by Times Internet, over 60% are not keen on paying for OTT subscription. 

Netflix on May 20 said that they will check if the inactive members want to continue with their service and if they don’t respond, automatically cancel their subscription. 

Read to find out more…

Viewers Are Turning to OTT TV But Reluctant to Pay For the Services!

The OTT platforms,also known as streaming media services, draw viewer’s attention as they are more immersive, convenient and engaging as opposed to linear television. 

The online content is also high on engagement with the OTT format empowering consumers in a fundamentally different way. Unlike the relatively unidimensional, inflexible era of linear television, OTT TV now enables customers to actively interact with content. It also offers them a wide array of choices, in terms of binge-watching, time and place as well as navigation which will all play crucial roles in the emergence of the next batch of opportunities for digital marketers to tap into a wider Indian audience.

Last year, 2/3rd of the Indian audience spent at least 1 to 2 hours a day watching content online, and it’s expected to grow further in 2020. Hence these platforms have emerged as unique playgrounds for marketers.

Times Internet, a digital products marketing and investment company, has long-standing advertising partnerships with leading OTT platforms. The firm’s latest report brings together understandings from primary research and insight studies done amongst 2000 Times Internet users to understand how audiences interact with and consume content on OTT platforms basis Times Internet’s in-house research and insights, so you can reimagine new ways to interact with target audiences.

The report points out the key reasons for watching content on OTT platforms are  the flexibility of timing, range of shows, and new content. 

The key differentiation factor remains the original content across genres. This helps the OTT  players entice subscribers, while the quality would help retain them. With the growing demand for originals, OTT players are creating content in regional languages, since it is the future for consumption and commerce.

The key motivators to watch any content on OTT platforms are recommendations by friends, family or colleagues followed by buzz on social media. 

Of the people who subscribe to online websites or apps, 1/4th claim to spend more than Rs. 500 on monthly subscriptions. Among people who have not subscribed to any online websites or apps, nearly 60% of people are not keen on spending money to watch content on online platforms.

Netflix Deactivating Inactive Accounts!

A time-honoured tradition at subscription services – hoping lapsed customers don’t realise they’re still paying every month – is going away at Netflix Inc.

Eddy Wu, who oversees product innovation said in a blog post, “We’re asking everyone who has not watched anything on Netflix for a year since they joined to confirm they want to keep their membership.” He also said, “We’ll do the same for anyone who has stopped watching for more than two years. Members will start seeing these emails or in-app notifications this week.”

It is expected that losing the customers shouldn’t be a big hit for Netflix. Inactive accounts make up less than half of 1% of its subscriber base, or a few hundred thousand, Wu said.

This means the move could provide some relatively pain-free goodwill for Netflixand also some anxiety for all the users whose subscription services are trying to lie low.

Will this cause the inactive viewers to revive their idle accounts or deactivate them completely? Whatever they do, its a no loss situation for Netflix.