Netflix has adjusted its pricing for its services in Kenya and Sub-Saharan Africa. The video streaming platform is one of the most popular video-on-demand platforms in Africa due to its rich collection of films and TV shows, despite some geo-restricted content. Netflix is also a preferred choice for many due to its functional user interface and low bandwidth requirements, making it accessible to many users. However, the recent price hike for its plans, with the highest tier costing KES 1450, was considered too high by many users. Some resorted to using the free mobile version or the cheapest plan available to access the entire catalog of shows in Kenya for KES 300 on mobile.
Now, Netflix has made a notable price cut to make the platform more accessible to more people. The new prices for the plans in Kenya and Sub-Saharan Africa are as follows:
Kenya:
- Mobile: KES 200 from KES 300
- Basic: KES 300 from KES 700
- Standard: KES 700 from KES 1100
- Premium: KES 1100 from KES 1450
Sub-Saharan Africa:
- Mobile: USD 2.99 from 3.99
- Basic: USD 3.99 from 7.99
- Standard: USD 7.99 from 9.99
- Premium: USD 9.99 from 11.99
These new prices are expected to appeal to many customers who previously found the platform too expensive.
New subscribers will see the changes immediately. However, existing subscribers will see the updated prices over the next days or weeks.
Netflix has also made changes in other areas. It has a new CEO and has increased its revenues. However, the company also plans to crack down on password sharing, which it says has resulted in significant revenue loss.
In the Kenyan market, Netflix competes with Showmax, which offers its service to mobile users and customers who want to stream games, among other things. Showmax’s mobile plan costs KES 300, which is now higher than Netflix’s mobile plan. The basic Showmax plan goes for KES 760, and Pro, which airs games and live TV channels, goes for KES 2100 or KES 1050 for mobile-only. Showmax limits active TV screens to 2 and maxes out at 720p in terms of resolution. In contrast, Netflix can offer 4K resolution and supports 4 screens for the premium plan.
The changes in pricing are likely to be welcomed by many customers who found the platform too expensive. The competition between Netflix and Showmax is also likely to intensify with both platforms offering unique features and pricing.
