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Thread: Move over Netflix, there is a new ‘flix’ in town

  1. #1
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    Move over Netflix, there is a new ‘flix’ in town

    One wonders why the advent of 3G and 4G services took so long as Pakistan has seen a host of businesses either enter or expand their operations since 2014 when the government finally held the long-delayed spectrum auction.

    In less than three years, the number of internet subscriptions has gone up at a rate of over 900%, according to data on the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) website. From a little under 3.8 million subscriptions in 2013-14, the number shot past 38 million by the end of October 2016. Not surprisingly, almost all growth came on the back of mobile broadband services.

    The market size for internet-based businesses just increased over nine times. From online shopping portals and taxi-hailing apps to video streaming and downloading platforms, the digital space has since seen nothing short of a revolution.

    The latest to enter the growing Pakistani market is Malaysia-based iflix, an Internet service for streaming TV shows and movies that feature on its database. It’s slated to formally announce its launch for the Pakistani market next week, but its services go live from today (Monday), with promises to feature more local content, and will be priced at Rs300 per month or Rs2,800 a year after a trial month.


    Challenges

    Its industry competition, US-based Netflix that launched in Pakistan around the same time a year ago, is currently charging over Rs800 a month, depending on the subscription.

    While Netflix may have the first-mover advantage, in a country like Pakistan, where average income is hovering around $1,560 or Rs165,000 a year, subscription rates could prove to be a vital statistic.

    “Netflix is in the same category we are, but we see piracy as the main competition,” Farees Shah, the general manager for iflix Pakistan, told The Express Tribune. “People resort to piracy because it’s convenient and cost-effective. If one was to provide an alternative that is affordable and user-friendly, people would definitely use it.

    But piracy, availability of torrents, cheap DVDs and Netflix aren’t the only concerns. The payments mechanism and sometimes annoyingly slow internet speeds are two other challenges iflix will face in the country. “There is a download and watch offline option for people to get around choppy internet.
    “We are also working with cellular mobile operators to devise a system for people to pay through their mobile credit apart from the more traditional methods of using plastic cards. In a few weeks, the system should be in place.”


    Targets

    Pakistan will be iflix’s eighth destination and is part of the company’s aim to strengthen its presence in emerging markets and targeting a billion subscribers by 2020, according to Group Chief Operating Officer Azran Osman-Rani who is reported to have said this back in July 2016. The company has raised over $80 million in funding since the start.

    In Pakistan, however, iflix’s targets are clear. “The total market size remains around 10 to 20 million, given that, for us, anyone with an internet connection is a potential customer,” said Shah.

    “Startups don’t work in a structured way, given that we are doing something that has no history. So we can’t really base it on numbers.”
    Iflix’s total subscriptions, as of June 2016, stood at around 3.5 million – an impressive number given the company started out only recently.
    Shah did say that the Indonesian market – where iflix entered in June 2016 – could be somewhat used as a yardstick given it has roughly the same population size. Its GDP per capita, however, is more than twice as much as Pakistan’s.


    Content

    Shah said the stress was on local content as well and iflix’s deal with Hum TV, a private television channel, should pave way for the move. “The composition of the content will change very fast. What I can tell you is that there will be hundreds of shows and hundreds of movies right now.”
    Each iflix subscription would be available for five devices, but would only support simultaneous streams on two of those at any point in time.

    Source: The Express Tribune [Tribune.com.pk]
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    Netflix, Iflix.. "Pakistan, where average income is hovering around $1,560 a year..". Geez. So Netflix charge $12/mo there? Even Iflix's price seems high for that market. Maybe the latter can flourish as a local business lol.

    I'll never understand streaming. I guess it's fine if you're not hunting for the absolute best quality. But, as we know, a lot of people are clueless when it comes to torrents and illegal file sharing in general. Heck, I don't even consider it a viable alternative to storing files locally. Don't even use Spotify and the likes. I mean damn, I'd go crazy if I couldn't keep my movies/music somewhere safe. What if my connection went down for long periods of time? I'm sacked! Of if you're somewhere with no access to the internet. I swear I can't live without my external HDDs. Yeah, I'm paying my ISP every month to be able to download stuff, but if I decide not to at some point, I'd still have my archives lying around. Nothing beats a back-up. To each his own, I guess.
    fiorentini and Trap Lord like this.

  3. #3
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    “The total market size remains around 10 to 20 million, given that, for us, anyone with an internet connection is a potential customer,”
    In a country where the average income is fairly low, there is only around 18% of their population that have internet...their 10 million to 20 million goal is absolutely ridiculous knowing they only have 3.5 Million subscribers worldwide...Why don't they just target countries that can actually afford their service...

    It's like expecting to make millions of dollars of sales with a Ferrari dealership in Ethiopia...


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  1. 01-09-2017, 11:32 PM

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