Netflix Launches Free Plan in Kenya To Boost Growth

Netflix said on Monday it is launching a free mobile plan in Kenya as the global streaming giant looks to tap the East African nation that is home to over 20 million internet users. From a report: The free plan, which will be rolled out to all users in Kenya in the coming weeks, won't require them to provide any payment information during the sign-up, the company said. The new plan is available to any user aged 18 or above with an Android phone, the company said. It will also not include ads. The company told Reuters that it is making about one quarter of its movies and television shows catalog available to users in the free plan in the East African nation.

Birth-rate will drop like a stone

[nospam007]

Like in all Netflix countries.

It might even be a good thing.

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[Joey Vegetables]

You hopefully realize that Kenya is in east Africa?

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[garyisabusyguy]

You do realize that the UK included British Kenya Colony, from which they extracted resources through the early 1960's

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[Joey Vegetables]

My bad. I did not realize that was what you were talking about.

I'm in the US, and currently the left-wing push for "reparations" for slavery is a cynical and sick tactic for furthering racial divisions, while also removing the focus from ways we actually could help improve opportunities for poor and minority people among others.

Reparations for colonialism is a MUCH broader topic, but also less familiar one to me.

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[ShanghaiBill]

You do realize that the UK included British Kenya Colony, from which they extracted resources through the early 1960's

Why would an American company pay reparations for British colonialism?

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[garyisabusyguy]

Because the GP was written with references to the UK and most multinationals have branches that fall under local tax rules, particularly sales tax. (Value Added Tax)

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[Anonymous Coward]

I must have misunderstood the expression "netflix and chill".

Beware of strangers bearing gifts.

[Ostracus]

Same principle works for drug dealers and that strange man in a van that gives people free candy.

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[DontBeAMoran]

Except that drug dealers give free samples to get you hooked on drugs and sell you those drugs later. The strange man in a van is not giving kids free candy in order to sell them candy later on.

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[Joey Vegetables]

It's not free. They are expecting to recoup it through paid Netflix subscriptions in Kenya.

There are some challenges, as with any developing country, but Kenya has one of the bigger economies in Africa, and at least pre-COVID was growing at a modest but steady pace.

How long until...

[garyisabusyguy]

Greetings from Kenya,
Please let me introduce myself, I am Prince Prince from Kenya and I am hoping to enlist your aid.
My Netflix account has become locked and I need your assistance in unlocking it, after which I will allow your IP address as one of the users on my account.
Please contact me immediately with your IP, bank routing, account and social security numbers so that I can give you access to my account (once unlocked).
Thank you for your prompt attention.
Prince Prince

Right Idea

[Thelasko]

Once a market in a high income country is saturated, most companies try to come up with new ways to extract profit from those markets. Few companies move to be competitive in low income markets. As a result, those markets become severely under-served.

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[Joey Vegetables]

Many low-income markets became that way because of prolonged and/or culturally ingrained military, political, or economic instabilities, and those instabilities often make economic growth of any kind difficult.

Kenya is not bad in that regard. Not perfect by any stretch, but not bad. It's a middle-income country a modest but expanding middle class.

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[Bradac_55]

WTF does that even mean ? Or better yet what does that have to do with this story ?

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[doconnor]

One difference is that they can sell the same content to a new market with virtually no marginal cost.

Allow me to ask the one question

[Opportunist]

Any VPN services in Kenya?

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[avandesande]

Seems like a lot of trouble to watch netflix.

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[Opportunist]

People have jumped worse hoops to get stuff for free.

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[countach]

It used to be you could spoof Netflix where you are in the world, without resorting to a full blown VPN. Not sure if that's still true or not.

Corporate behemoth...

[lekudos]

...drug dealer is giving away Netflix in a new market. They obviously won't be paying taxes because who in Kenya can make them pay and the nascent industries will be squashed I presume unless of course their presence ends up creating enough competition to improve national offerings... I doubt its the latter Western corporations have a pretty good track record of owning new markets. "Thanks globalisation!" "Thanks Obama!"

"Why can't Kenyans...

[tomatoguy]

... waste time like the rest of us?"

Free Plan? These are just marketing gimmicks.

[kolkatadivas.com]

Every other day I see companies offering free plans for their services. There is nothing really free in this world. They will start charging double once subscribed.