Heena Sharma Blog

The US-based Netflix has started testing longer subscription plans in the country, as it looks to woo new users in India where online video consumption has seen massive growth in the past few years. According to sources, Netflix has started testing multiple months subscription plans (three, six and 12 months) that will be offered at a discounted price. However, this will be available only to some new users, and they may see different options, they added. The sources said the intent of the pilot is to see whether subscribers will be open to paying for several months, or a year in advance. Earlier this year, Netflix had piloted and then launched a mobile phone-only plan in the Indian market -- a first for the company globally. The new long-term plans being piloted are also India-first. When contacted, a Netflix spokesperson said, "We believe that our members may value the flexibility that comes from being able to pay for a few months at once. As always, this is a ...

Amazon.com Inc resurrected thousands of suspended product listings in India by selling much of its stake in top local venture partner Cloudtail, a hastily arranged deal intended to comply with stringent new e-commerce regulations that upended the market. With the transaction, Cloudtail resumed selling products as of midnight, people familiar with the matter said. The Amazon entity sold 25 per cent of its shares to Prione Business Services Pvt, a company run by billionaire Narayana Murthy’s Catamaran Advisors LLP. Prione now owns 76 per cent of the venture from 51 per cent previously, they said. The remaining 24 per cent is now owned by a non-Indian arm of the US retailer’s called Amazon Asia-Pacific Resources Ltd, they said, asking not to be identified talking about a private matter. The deal allowed Amazon to recover a big chunk of item listings frozen since Feb. 1, when newly introduced e-commerce regulations threw Amazon’s and Walmart Inc.’s plans for the world’s fastest...

The company is also going to offer consumers instant loans on its platforms and has partnered four banks Companies News : It’s official. Google will make its debut in India’s e-commerce and retail ecosystem this Diwali via its payments platform, Tez, rechristened Google Pay . From tying up with more than 2,000 e-commerce companies, including big names such as cab aggregator Uber and movie ticketing platform BookMyShow, to adding about 1.2 million offline merchants, including the likes of Big Bazaar, Google is on a hyperdrive to create an ecosystem where everything will hinge on the payments app. The company is also going to offer consumers instant loans on its platforms and has partnered four banks — HDFC, ICICI, Kotak Mahindra and Federal Bank. According to Google, a pre-approved loan limit for individuals, based on their bank account and Tez transaction history, will be set. The app’s users will get the money deposited directly into their bank accounts.