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.
e-commerce
American Express to acquire AI startup Hyper to boost automation
Deal targets expense management as AI reshapes corporate spending tools.
MUMBAI: From receipts to robots, the expense sheet is getting a brain upgrade as American Express moves to bring artificial intelligence into the heart of corporate spending. The company has announced plans to acquire Hyper, a relatively young but fast-rising startup founded in 2022 that builds AI-powered agents capable of organising expenses, generating reports, verifying compliance with budgets and policies, and nudging users with timely reminders. The deal, expected to close in the second quarter of 2026, underscores a growing shift among financial institutions to automate traditionally manual, time-heavy workflows.
Hyper counts Sam Altman among its backers, adding a layer of Silicon Valley credibility to the acquisition. While financial details remain undisclosed, the strategic intent is clear: deepen automation capabilities and sharpen American Express’s position in the competitive corporate spending ecosystem.
The two companies are not strangers. They previously collaborated in 2024 on a co-branded credit card product, suggesting that the acquisition is less a cold buy and more an extension of an existing relationship. With this move, American Express is effectively bringing that capability in-house, aiming to embed AI directly into its commercial services stack.
Chief executive Stephen Squeri had already signalled the direction of travel in a recent shareholder letter, describing AI as a “structural shift” in how businesses operate. The Hyper acquisition appears to be a direct response to that shift, particularly in expense management, where processes such as approvals, compliance checks and reporting remain ripe for automation.
Alongside the acquisition, the company is also expanding its product suite. A recently launched business credit card offers cashback and benefits at an annual fee of $295, with another card expected later this year moves that complement its broader push into commercial services.
Taken together, the strategy points to a future where managing expenses may require fewer spreadsheets and more algorithms. For American Express, the bet is simple, if businesses are rethinking how work gets done, the tools that power that work need to evolve just as quickly.
