What a year it has been for couch potatoes like me. Online streaming services have been growing rapidly around the world, and especially in India. With a business that’s worth billions, I think its important to see how the two giants of the online streaming industry, Netflix and Amazon Prime fared this year, and how they attempted to break into the Indian market.
Despite having more subscribers internationally, Netflix is trailing behind Amazon Prime in India. Why is this? Well they both started streaming services in India in 2016 following a huge drop in data prices. But from there, Amazon Prime seemed to take off quicker. This may be mainly due to its cheaper prices. Amazon Prime costs just 999 rupees a year, whereas Netflix will cost you 500 bucks a month. Another reason may be that Amazon Prime has a large library of regional content which cannot be matched by Netflix.
amazon prime
However, it isn’t fair to rule Netflix out just yet. In 2018, Netflix saw tremendous growth, with sources saying they now have somewhere between half a million to one million subscribers. With their own originals such as Sacred Games, Selection Day and Ghoul, they were able to combat Amazon Prime originals such as Breathe & Lakhon Mein Ek.
Sacred Games- One of Netflix India’s Best Productions yet
Both streaming services also spent heftily on signing the hottest stand-up comedians in the country, cashing in on the country’s latest addiction. Once again, Amazon Prime leads the race here, with comics such as Kanan Gil, Kenny Sebastian, and Biswa Kalyan all given hour-long specials. On top of that, they also have their own show Comicstaan, which basically is to comedy what The Voice is to singing.
Netflix at CES 2016
Overall, 2018 has been a great year. Both of these streaming giants have realized the potential revenue they could be making and will definitely try and be more relatable to Indian audiences in 2019. So just sit back and binge the show of your choice, cause it’s all uphill from here.
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