6. The Netflix Rebirth in India? | Prathmesh Sagar

THE NETFLIX REBIRTH IN INDIA?

The Idea

A while ago, I had read a book named “The Four: The Hidden DNA of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google” written by Scott Galloway. In his book, he has compared the four companies mentioned in the title to the Four Horseman of Apocalypse from the Bible. Each horseman represents four different reasons that will bring upon the destruction of humankind, and human society areconquest, war, famine, and death. Well, he didn’t say these four companies will end the world or something, but they will (and have started to) shape the world as we know it. What fascinated me was that in the final chapter of his book, he named a few companies with the potential to rise to the level of these four companies. A few of the companies he named were Microsoft, The New York Times, and finally Netflix.

The Why

This was fascinating to me because when I read the book, OTT platforms were still a new source of media consumption for us Indians.

Hotstar was still unknown to us. Amazon Prime was just considered a free delivery version of regular Amazon, and Netflix was almost non-existing. Netflix started to gain popularity in India after many popular shows, both Indian and International, like Sacred Games, Stranger Things, Money Heist, The Umbrella Academy, and many more. Sacred Games is the mostwatched Indian TV series on Netflix and all the OTT platforms.

The Price

The Content that Netflix produces is topnotch. No competitor of Netflix comes even close to it. HBO MAX can rival Netflix in terms of content, but even to this day, it is not available around the globe. Amazon Prime has more subscribers than Netflix, mainly for the free and one-day delivery service. Almost all the shows streaming on Netflix are revered by audience and reviewers alike, and Netflix very well knows it. Since they know it, they are willing to charge a crapload of money for it.

The Service

Netflix is the most expensive of all the streaming services available in India. It charges you monthly while other services like Disney+ Hotstar, Amazon Prime, Sony LIV, Zee5, etc., all charge you on an annual basis. The price of Netflix services changes according to the kind of device you are using, the number of screens, and the resolution you want to stream. In contrast, its competitors ask for just one-time payment for their most premium service. The fact is that you can have six years’ worth of Amazon Prime at the same price that Netflix charges you for a year of its premium plan (Approximately).

The Indian

Indians are very price-conscious. An average Indian checks the price tag of everything before they buy it, and entertainment is the last thing that Indians wish to spend their money on. So, before getting a Netflix subscription, an Indian will think about it a million times. They will compare its price to other Streaming services available and consider whether it is worth it. Another big problem that any Streaming Service (not just Netflix) faces in India is Piracy. There aren’t any antipiracy laws in place in India.

The Problem

I think that Netflix should try to Understand the Indian Demography. Their new Rs. 149/month plan is pretty good, but the number of screens or devices that the plan covers is significantly less for an average Indian. To increase its number of Subscriptions in India, Netflix must perfect its Balancing act. It must balance between Pricing and Service. Indians wish to gain more for less, and Netflix must Acknowledge that.

Prathmesh Sagar

THE RAINBOW BLENDING IN THE TRICOLOR: THE LGBTQ+ STATUS IN INDIA

Last year when the world woke up to June, pride month, gazing at Google doodle of Dr. Frank Kameny, an American astronomer, veteran and gay right activists, Indian LGBTQ pride movements took up the heat and celebrated the victory with rainbow colors painted on the flag, over enduring brutal suppression which depicts the bleak picture of a ghastly era that criminalized the samesex marriages. India’s pioneers had contrived the constitution as a lodestar of fundamental, escorting once enslaved Indians to the ensured land of life and emancipation. Despite such an extricating constitution, the law often becomes abusive for the marginalized sections such as LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer) by providing them a cold shoulder.

Hindu mythology, through evolved heroes and instances, has displayed elements of gender variance and non-heterosexuality, depicting gender as an idea, a belief, a conviction through diverse extraordinary and unusual characters. Mohini is the only female reincarnation of Vishnu,which portrays gender variability, in one case even becoming pregnant (Vishnu as Mohini with Shiva, to give birth to Lord Ayyappa). Ardhanarishvara form is an androgynous composite of Shiva and goddess Parvati, his wife. There are many examples like Aravan, a god for the transgender community who married Mohini (Lord Krishna took Mohini avatar), which depicts acceptance of homosexuality in ancient cultures and heritages. While Ancient India was one of the most sexually liberated societies in history, modern India was somehow seems like developing its own new way to deal with it.

Section 377 of the Indian penal code criminalized homosexuality which was introduced in 1861 during the British rule in India. In Suresh Kumar Koushal vs. Naz Foundation [2013] case, the Supreme Court’s retrograde decision to overturn the 2009 Delhi High Court verdict that decriminalized gay sex has enthroned medieval prejudice and dealt a body blow to liberal values and human rights. In Navtej Singh Johar & Ors. Vs. Union of India (2018) case The honorable supreme court had struck down the draconian section 377 with a statement that homosexuals also have fundamental rights which strive for equality and should be allowed to imbibe the spirits of fraternity.

Despite the abrogation of 377, full equality is still a castle in the air for the LGBTQ community in India in matters of employment, social acceptance and personal relationships and in every sphere of life, discrimination culminated with detestation has impeded their livelihoods.

The Union of India has recently provided legality to same-sex marriages in India, stating that the decriminalization of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code does not automatically grant fundamental rights for same-sex couples to marry.

Heteronormativity which is the belief that heterosexuality is the default, preferred, or normal mode of sexual orientation, is the root cause of hetero-sexism and homophobia within the society. It assumes that there are only two distinct and opposite genders and that sexual and marital relations are only fitting between people of the opposite sex. As of 2021, 29 countries accepted homosexual marriages. In May 1996, South Africa became the 1st country to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. Let Gandhiji’s nation learn from Mandela’s nation. Article 15 of the Indian Constitution secures citizens from every sort of discrimination by the state, by any other individuals, on the grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth which is the cornerstone of the concept that equality is antagonistic to discrimination, imbibing the zeitgeist, the grounds of non-discrimination should be ballooned by including gender and sexual variances.

Judiciary had directed the Government to sensitize the general public and officials, including police officials, to eliminate the stereotypes associated with the LGBTQ+ community through the mass media and the official channels. School and university students too should be educated about the diversity of sexuality to anatomize the myth of heteronormativity.

However, for homosexuals, the law has been a beautiful and ineffectual angel’ so far. Hence the time has arrived for the change and the onus should not be left to the legislation but to be catered by the civil society, the citizenry concerned and the LGBTQ+ community itself. And obviously, it’s all of us who should inculcate these values in society through our daily life behavior.

Pratik Routray

CONTENT IS THE NEW SUPERSTAR

Remember the good old days when we fans used to argue among ourselves about box office collections and the popularity of our favorite celebrity? SRK against' Salman, Salman vs Akshay Kumar, and so on. A wellknown name as the lead actor, director, or producer was a primary consideration when selecting a film or drama, with content taking a back seat. However, as the phrase goes, nothing lasts forever, and now we are at the start of a new era in which 'content' trumps all other factors.

Recent films starring prominent stars like SRK and Akshay Kumar, such as FAN, Zero, and Welcome Back, among others, flopped at the box office, despite large opening numbers (owing to the popularity of corresponding lead actors and actresses). According to experts, it was for one simple reason: these films lacked quality content. On the other side, films like Uri: The Surgical Strike, Andadhun, Badhaai Ho, and others debuted with low box office numbers but drew a large audience due to their content and were termed blockbusters of super-hits.

Another argument highlighted by experts is that with the availability of high-quality content such as Sacred Games, Family Man, and Special Ops on OTT platforms, audiences have an alternative. By now, you've probably figured out where this article is going. I used Bollywood as an example to ensure that the majority of you can connect to it. Today, we live in a connected world where information is instantly accessible at the touch of a button, and everyone's competing for that consumer click. You might be in any popular or niche industry, such as music, entertainment, blogging, services, YouTube content creator, politics, social media, or the information technology industry, and the list goes on and on, but perhaps the most critical factor that will determine your success or failure is 'Content' . People seek content; it serves as a means of communication, advertising, marketing, as well as a help desk and assistance. We acquire knowledge through content. You have nothing if you lack content, and everything if you do. Still not convinced? I hope I can influence your viewpoint as we proceed to the next paragraph.

Google recently published an article claiming that it will prioritize original content even if its SEO is not perfect over duplicated content with a near-perfect SEO and optimization; this shift has affected the rankings of several blogs that copy information from other sources. Following that, we have social media pages; a recent study discovered that buyers are more likely to be drawn to or purchase a car from an automaker whose social media accounts are active and regularly provide information about their products most uniquely and concisely possible. Crowds are more inclined to stay and listen to a lengthy speech by a politician if it has all the components that appeal to them; for them, those ingredients form content, that content may be about jobs, religion, education, or farming; nonetheless, content reigns supreme in this case as well. There are several examples and research that demonstrate the critical nature of the content.

While it may appear to the majority of people that marketing, branding, and advertising play the most significant part in the success of a brand, company, or a person itself, the reality is that it is “The Content” that plays the most critical role. It is therefore very essential for us to look beyond such marketing gimmicks and emphasize equally the content to achieve greater heights.