India’s largest telecom service provider Bharti Airtel is reportedly in talks with US-based streaming giant Netflix to offer free subscription to Airtel TV app users. According to a recent report from ET, the companies are in advanced discussions for an exclusive tie-up and the offer is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
Sources familiar with the matter told PTI that:
“Netflix and Airtel are in advanced discussions for an exclusive tie-up to offer Netflix content to Airtel mobile customers. Several rounds of discussions have been completed between the two companies and the deal could be announced in the coming weeks.”
As of now, neither Airtel nor Netflix have revealed any information about the offer. It’s worth noting that Airtel and Netflix already have a partnership under which Airtel offers access to the Netflix app on its internet and direct-to-home service platforms.
The sources further added that:
“As per the discussion, the subscription fee will not be charged for Netflix as well but customers will have to pay for data they will consume for accessing Netflix content”.
If that’s the case then Airtel stands to benefit greatly from the partnership as streaming Netflix on mobile devices uses a significant amount of data, thereby directly increasing Airtel’s sales. Netflix also stands to increase its reach in the country, as more users are likely to use the service if it’s offered to them for free.
