The streamer’s India operations took localisation a step ahead with Monika Shergill’s appointment.
21 Apr, 2021 - 08:42 AM IST | By Gargi Sarkar
KOLKATA: Among a host of over-the-top (OTT) platforms in India, Netflix has always been considered as the “premium” one in terms of pricing and content. To break the stereotype, the streaming giant has taken several measures like launching a mobile-only plan. Netflix global TV head Bela Bajaria said the platform wants to “please many more members” with its diverse content offering as well.
Speaking on day one of APOS 2021, Bajaria, who smilingly disclosed her “personal bias” for the market because of her ethic roots, remarked that the platform wants to have a wider breadth of offerings for the country. She pointed to the much-hyped slate of more than 40 originals which consist of different categories of originals.
APOS: Netflix s Bela Bajaria Pinpoints the Duality of Local Authenticity on a Global Platform
Naman Ramachandran, provided by
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Netflix head of global TV Bela Bajaria says that staying authentically local is key to global success for the giant streaming platform.
Speaking at the opening day of the annual Asia Pacific focused APOS conference, a virtual affair for the second year in a row due to COVID-19, Bajaria said that the localization process is led by on-ground leadership.
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Bajaria described “extraordinary empowered, local decision makers,” who “make the decisions in their own time zone in their own country and in their own language.”
James Murdoch Envisages the Rise of Creator-Led Franchises as Media Conglomerates Dumb Down
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James Murdoch, former CEO of 21st Century Fox, and founder and CEO of Lupa Systems, is heralding a future that spotlights creator-led franchises.
Delivering the opening keynote speech at the annual APOS conference, Murdoch said that the emergence of massive conglomerates meant that “there is less room for truly original work (and) lots more derivative work,” but with higher budgets, whether it’s in films or series. In this scenario, mid-market genres such as literary adaptations have limited room, Murdoch said.
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AsiaPac Streaming Competition to Intensify
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Key trends to watch in the AsiaPac media sector include a booming addressable market for streaming, the rising prominence of platforms that champion local content and the continued interest in Korean, Japanese and North American shows, Media Partners Asia’s Vivek Couto revealed in his opening remarks at APOS.
The total addressable market for streaming in the region, composed of fixed broadband, mobile broadband and IPTV, is expected to grow significantly, Couto said, with mobile broadband out front at 3.5 billion subs by 2025.
OTT partnerships with telcos and some pay-TV operators will be key, Couto observed. “They are vital for reach and billing, particularly in markets with limited online payment mechanisms. Telcos’ marketing clout and knowledge of user behavior can be very influential. In India and Indonesia, telco partnerships account for a big chunk of subscribers, more than 50 percent. Japan is heading
South Korea and Japan Emerge as Key Battlegrounds in the Streaming Wars Patrick Brzeski Composition of characters from The Silent Sea, Kingdom: Ashin of the North, Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke.
Netflix is so famously data-driven that understanding its growth strategy tends to be ruthlessly straightforward: “Follow the money.” Recently, a growing share of the streamer’s cash pile has been pouring into two key content categories in East Asia: South Korean drama and Japanese anime.
In February, Netflix held a star-studded event in Seoul, where it pledged to spend $500 million on South Korean film and series in 2021 alone. A month later, at an event in Tokyo, the company said it would premiere upward of 40 new original Japanese anime titles this year double the number it released in 2020.