Netflix launches Hindi user interface in India — two years after Amazon Prime Video

• The global streaming giant Netflix has just launched its Hindi-language interface in India.
• Netflix localisation card may be coming in a little late with its primary competitor, Amazon Prime Video, who launched Hindi user-interface nearly two years ago.
• Netflix continues to lag behind Hotstar, JioTV, and Amazon Prime Video when it comes to capturing the market share in India.

Netflix may have a fine collection of original Hindi content, like the record-breaking Sacred Games, but you still needed to know English to make your way around the platform. In a move to expand its footprint and reach a bigger audience, the video streaming behemoth is now eliminating the language barrier by launching a Hindi user interface.

But it has come about two years too late.One of Netflix’s primary competitor’s in the India market, Amazon Prime Video, introduced its Hindi user interface way back in 2018, as did JioTV when launched in 2019.

Surprisingly, homegrown Hotstar, which has the most amount of Hindi content, does not offer a Hindi-language interface. But that hasn’t stood in the way of its success. Hotstar has captured nearly one-third of the market share in India, followed by JioTV. Global companies lag with Amazon Prime Video at 10% of the market share in India and Netflix only at 5%.


Netflix may not be able to boast about numbers, but its exclusive content generation does set it apart from the crowd. After the success of Sacred Games, Netflix has been doubling down on its bet in India with indie films like Bulbbul, Choked: Paisa Bolta Hai, and Mighty Little Bheem.

Next week on August 12, the video streaming platform is set to release another 17 new titles, including Ludo, A Suitable Boy, and the much-awaited movie Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl.

Pricing continues to be a pain point
Other than language, the other main barrier for Netflix in India has been its subscription price point, which is relatively higher than its competitors. It already tried to address the issue by launching a ₹199 per month mobile-only subscription. It’s also reportedly working on a new ₹347 per month plan for all devices, not just mobiles.

Platform	Monthly subscription rate
Netflix	₹ 199 mobile-only (₹499 for single screen across all devices)
Amazon	₹ 129
Hotstar	₹ 299 single screen
JioTV	NA — comes bundled with JioFiber

In comparison to Netflix’s current basic monthly subscription at ₹499 for a single screen, the new plan will be 30% cheaper. Even then it won’t be as cheap as Amazon Prime Video’s ₹129 per month subscription of Hotstar's ₹299 monthly rate.

With the price-conscious Indian consumer, it’s too early to say if adding the appeal of localisation will be enough to get more users onboard.