iWorld
Netflix subscriptions to get cheaper in India
MUMBAI: Netflix is tuning itself to India’s needs. Netflix chief product officer Gregory Peters said in an earnings call that the company will experiment with cheaper pricing models, betting on India to bring in its next 100 million subscribers for its long-term goal in a bid to increase its growth.
Netflix is currently the most expensive streaming service in India. It has three existing plans in the country priced at Rs 500, Rs 650 and Rs 800 per month. The Rs 500 plan is for a single screen while Rs 650 plan offers HD content. On the other hand, Amazon Prime offers annual subscription in India at Rs 999 and also has a Rs 129 per month plan.
“We’ll experiment with other pricing models, not only for India but around the world that allows us to sort of broaden access by providing a pricing tier that sits below our current lowest tier and we'll see how that does in terms of being able to accelerate our growth and get more access,” said Peters.
Company executives in the earnings call said that they were encouraged with the growth they have seen in India. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said that the company will take it ‘one million at a time’ when it comes to subscriber growth in the market. “There are over 300 million mobile households and almost twice that in mobile subscription, so there’s a huge market,” he added.
Netflix has also planned to take on competition in India with more multi-lingual content. Hastings said that after signalling possible options, it could expand beyond English into Hindi and then into more languages, more pricing options and more bundling.
In the past, Netflix launched its first original show in India Sacred Games followed by Lust Stories and Ghoul. It has also released a movie called Love Per Square Foot.
Netflix’s streaming revenue grew by 36 per cent year over year in Q3 to $3.9 billion, as average paid membership increased by 25 per cent and ASP rose by 8 per cent. International revenue included a -$90 million year over year impact from currency, excluding the impact of F/X, international ASP rose 11 per cent year over year and 2 per cent sequentially.
iWorld
T20 World Cup ’26: India–England semi-final sets global streaming record of 619 million views on JioHotstar
India–England semi-final records 65.2 million peak streams
MUMBAI: The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 set a new milestone in global sports streaming, as the India–England semi-final drew record digital audiences on JioHotstar.
The match on 5 March registered 65.2 million peak concurrent viewers, the highest ever recorded for a live event on any streaming platform worldwide. The semi-final also generated 619 million views, making it the most streamed T20 international match in history.
The landmark audience numbers were driven largely by viewers in India, setting a record achieved within a single market, rather than through aggregated viewership across multiple countries.
The high-scoring encounter between India national cricket team and England cricket team produced 499 runs across both innings, fuelling widespread fan engagement across platforms.
According to the International Cricket Council, the digital record surpassed the previous global benchmark of 65 million concurrent viewers, set in November 2024 by another international streaming platform.
Across television and digital platforms combined, the semi-final reached more than 320 million viewers, while total watch time exceeded 23 billion minutes, making it the most watched T20 international match ever.
“This World Cup demonstrates the immense passion of cricket fans and the progress made in bringing the game closer to audiences worldwide,” said ICC chairman Jay Shah.
“This moment reflects the scale of cricket fandom in India and the technological capability required to serve hundreds of millions of viewers simultaneously.”
JioStar vice-chairman Uday Shankar, said the audience surge underscored the future of large-scale digital entertainment.
“One in every three Indians tuned in to watch the second semi-final. Delivering such an experience at scale requires the very best of technology,” he said.
The 619 million views during the match also eclipsed the 533 million views recorded during the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.
With the final yet to be played, the 2026 tournament has already set multiple benchmarks in audience reach and digital engagement.
India will face the New Zealand national cricket team in the final on 8 March at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The match will be broadcast on the Star Sports Network and streamed on JioHotstar.
