Netflix is the most popular OTT platform in the world, with over 221.8 million paid streaming subscribers as of December 2021. Everyone wants to watch movies, web series, and other forms of entertainment with their friends and family. However, not everyone can afford its monthly or yearly subscription plans, especially in a price-sensitive country like India. Netflix India charges Rs 499 and Rs 649 per month for its Standard and Premium plans, respectively.
Now, how would you react if someone offers you free access to all Netflix movies and shows? Yes, you heard it right.
India’s second-biggest telecom operator Airtel is offering free Netflix subscriptions to its customers, but only on selected postpaid plans.
Airtel Postpaid Plans for Free Netflix Subscription
Netflix is now available with two Airtel Postpaid Family Plans, priced at Rs 1199 and Rs 1599.
Airtel’s Rs 1199 postpaid plan offers a free Netflix Basic subscription, which was earlier priced at Rs 999. Besides a free Netflix subscription, this new plan offers up to 150 GB data with a data rollover facility, unlimited local and STD calls, and 100 SMS per day. Customers will also get free subscriptions to Disney+ Hotstar, Amazon Prime, and Airtel Xtreme.
Airtel’s Rs 1599 postpaid plan offers a free Netflix Standard subscription. Customers will also receive free subscriptions to Amazon Prime, Disney+ Hotstar, and Airtel Xtreme, in addition to a free Netflix subscription. Besides that, customers will also receive unlimited local, STD and roaming calls, 500GB of data rollover, and a free add-on connection with unlimited calls as part of their subscription.
Both plans include free handset protection.
How to get free Netflix on Airtel
- If you are a new Airtel postpaid subscriber, you can buy (or upgrade to if already a postpaid customer) one of the two postpaid Airtel Netflix bundle plans on the Airtel website (www.airtel.in) or through the Airtel Thanks app.
- Once you’ve selected a plan, you’ll receive an activation SMS to your registered phone number.
- You must then activate your Netflix account by clicking the link in the SMS.
- After you’ve activated your account, go to the ‘Discover Thanks Benefit’ page on the Airtel Thanks app, scroll down and look for ‘Netflix’ in the ‘Enjoy your rewards’ section. On the Netflix product description page, click ‘Claim,’ then ‘Proceed.’ To complete activation process, the customer will be redirected to the Netflix website.
It’s a win-win situation for Airtel and Netflix
By 2026, India is expected to have over 200 million SVOD subscribers. This means that one out of every four broadband subscribers will be using at least one OTT platform. Therefore, all OTT players, Netflix, Disney+Hotstar, Amazon Prime, and many others, continue to invest heavily in the content in order to gain a sizable share in the country.
Netflix’s StreamFest, mobile-only plans, and other initiatives are all contributing to the growth of Netflix in India. The company has never disclosed the number of subscribers in the country, but it is expected to hit nearly 40 million by the end of 2022.
On the other hand, Airtel has over 210.07 million telecom subscribers in India as of December 2021, which is second only to Reliance Jio. A whopping 98% of these are wireless subscribers.
Airtel’s decision to give free Netflix subscription will help the telecom operator in not only attracting new customers but also in retaining existing ones.
