Netflix has announced a reduction in its monthly subscription fees for Kenya and some other countries in the sub-Saharan region of Africa, effective February 21. The streaming giant says the goal is to ensure its customers get greater value for their money.
On Tuesday, Netflix announced the new prices of subscription plans in Sub-saharan Africa. They stated that their mobile plan would now be about $3, while the Premium plan would cost just under $10.
The statement reads:
“We’re always exploring ways to improve our members’ experience on Netflix. We know members have never had more choices when it comes to entertainment — and we’re more committed than ever to delivering an experience that doesn’t just meet, but exceeds their expectations.
Today, we’re updating the pricing of our plans to Mobile $2.99, Basic $3.99, Standard $7.99 and Premium $9.99 in select Sub-Saharan countries [where Netflix is charged in USD] to deliver all your favourite TV shows and movies at an even better value!
The price update will also apply to Kenya, where Mobile will be Ksh200, Basic Ksh300, Standard Ksh700, and Premium Ksh1 100. Our goal is simple: to offer various quality shows and films curated for you. So whatever your mood or tastes, you can find something right to watch.
New members who sign up will see the new price for the plans immediately starting [date]. The update will roll out to existing members over the coming weeks from their next billing cycle. Existing members will be notified by email, [as well as within the Netflix app 30 days before the new prices are applied to them (this is only for auto-upgrades)]. The exact timing will depend on the specific member’s billing cycle.”
| MOBILE | BASIC | STANDARD | PREMIUM | ||||||
| OLD | NEW | OLD | NEW | OLD | NEW | OLD | NEW | ||
| KENYA | 300 | 200 | 700 | 300 | 1,100 | 700 | 1,450 | 1,100 | |
| SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA | 3.99 | 2.99 | 7.99 | 3.99 | 9.99 | 7.99 | 11.99 | 9.99 |
Read also: Netizens react as Netflix launches $7 per month ad-supported plan
Netflix’s new pricing for Africa
Video streaming giant Netflix has been exploring strategies to increase subscribers’ numbers over its major competitors like Disney+. Last year, in its October 18 earnings letter to shareholders, Netflix disclosed that it managed to double its growth projections, bringing its total number of users to 223 million.
One of the strategies includes the plan to launch a cheaper, ad-supported plan.
The decision to lower the subscription cost in Sub-Saharan Africa may not be unconnected with that same desire to increase the platform subscribers while also achieving the aim of giving more value to its customers.
The new prices show that Sub-Saharan African subscribers who are subscribed to its mobile plan would be paying $1 less than what they used to, while subscribers to its basic plan would be paying $4 less. Its standard and premium subscribers would be paying $2 less, respectively.
The new pricing in Kenya and Sub-saharan Africa may cause subscriptions to the streaming platform to further increase in the first quarter report, which will be released in the coming months. This strategy may see it beat its competitors, such as Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, HBO/HBO Max and Hulu, who are ramping up their subscriber numbers to give Netflix a run for its money.
How do the new prices compare to other regions?
Comparitech, a data research company that has regularly analyzed the differences in library sizes and monthly costs of Netflix subscriptions worldwide, released detailed data on the disparity in prices of Netflix subscription plans in various countries last month. The report revealed a disparity in the amounts payable by each country.
According to the report, recent months have seen Netflix hit various countries with price hikes, including the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Argentina, Turkey, and Denmark (most of which saw similar price increases in 2021, too). In sharp contrast, however, Netflix recently announced it was slashing its prices in India to compete with Disney+ and Prime. And from November 1, 12 countries can now opt for a cheaper subscription with adverts.
This is coupled with the new development in Kenya and Sub-saharan Africa. From the below image, Red depicts an above-average cost or below-average library size, while green depicts a below-average cost or above-average library size.
From the above, countries like Bahrain, Belgium, Bermuda, Bolivia and Andorra pay above the average cost prices for all plans. While countries like Brazil, Chile and Argentina pay below the average cost for all plans. This shows a unique disparity between South American countries and some European countries.
A quick look into the African data shows that subscriptions in countries like Egypt, Morrocco, Libya, Algeria and Tunisia show a disparity in cost. For some of these countries mentioned, the average cost is lower for some plans, while the cost is higher for others. See the full data here.
According to the data, due to their incredibly cheap prices across all three plans (without ads), Pakistan, India, and Turkey are the most cost-effective countries to watch Netflix in. But with their near-average library sizes, Pakistan and India offer the best value for money. With library sizes of 5,974 and 6,086 titles (compared to the average of 6,029 and Turkey’s 5,512), these two countries seem to get more while paying less.
The idea that you get more while paying less was iterated with careful observation of the countries with the biggest library sizes and their cost per month.
The central, eastern, and northern European countries of Slovakia, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia have access to the most titles (over 7,500 titles each) at a cost per month of €7.99, €9.99, and €11.99 for basic, standard, and premium plans. This sees them featuring within the top 20 countries for cost-effectiveness across all three plans.
At the other end of the scale are Liechtenstein, Israel, and Switzerland, where none of their plans is cost-effective.
With its library size being just below average (5,982) and its cost per month being well above average, Liechtenstein is the least cost-effective for basic, standard, and premium plans. Its cost per title is $0.00203, $0.00162, and $0.00106, making it around double the average cost. Switzerland shares the same price as Liechtenstein, but its above-average library size of 6,759 titles makes it slightly better on a cost-per-title basis.
Read also: Netflix launches 2 new features for premium users ONLY
Other reviews by Netflix
Last year, Netflix launched its advertising-supported streaming plan dubbed “Basic with Ads” at $7 monthly.
The subscription tier costs $6.99 per month, $3 cheaper than Netflix’s $9.99 most Basic plan and is set to include 4 to 5 minutes of ads per hour. The plan came with some limitations as viewers won’t be able to download shows for later viewing, Netflix said.
The company also stated that a “limited number” of movies and TV episodes would not be accessible on the ad-supported tier, blaming licensing limitations and stating that it was “working on” the problem.
Also, some weeks ago, the streaming platform launched two new features – spatial audio and more download devices- for users already on the Premium plan. or looking to sign up/upgrade. These features come with no additional cost for these members.
In a statement from Rishu Arora, Netflix’s Director of Product Management, the streaming giants explained that the viewing experience of premium users had been optimised with 4k HDR resolution. She said,
Today, we’re excited to announce new features at no additional cost for members who are already on the Premium plan, choose to upgrade, or are signing up for the first time.
ishu Arora, Netflix’s Director of Product Management made the announcement via a company blog post.
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, Young, Famous & African season 2, Luther: The Fallen Sun, Murder Mystery 2, Extraction 2, as well as recently released titles like Glass Onion: Knives Out, Wednesday, Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical, Wednesday, Emily in Paris, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, The Witcher, are among the fantastic upcoming TV and film offerings on Netflix in the coming months.
Read also: Despite stiff competition, Netflix gains over 2 million subscribers in Q3
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