StreamFest – Picture: Netflix
Netflix’s first-ever StreamFest looks like it was a massive success when it occurred in India on December 5th and December 6th. Here’s how StreamFest went down and what some early results tell us about how it performed.
As you may know, Netflix removed its traditional free trials around the world throughout the course of the past year. Netflix UK was one of the first to lose it back in December 2019 with more regions including the US losing it in October 2020.
Instead, Netflix announced it would be trying different initiatives around the world instead including limited-time free trial weekends under the name of StreamFest. The first took place on December 5th and 6th.
Early indications that the marketing effort was working was on December 5th where StreamFest was constantly hitting capacity. In response, Netflix had to put a form to give viewers a two-day pass beyond the original two-day window.
Due to the overwhelming response to StreamFest, you might be seeing the message “StreamFest is at capacity”.
You could give us your email ID or phone number at https://t.co/pcAEKoyThA and we'll let you know within the week when you can get your two days of free Netflix.
— Netflix India (@NetflixIndia) December 5, 2020
Apptopia, who tracks downloads of applications says the result of StreamFest has resulted in a massive uptake in the download of the Netflix application.
According to the analytics firm:
“StreamFest enabled the Netflix mobile app to hit its lifetime high in terms of daily global and Indian downloads with 1.3M and 800k, respectively. This occurred yesterday and for the Indian market, it represents a 2570% increase over the Monday prior for new installs. It is unclear at this point in time how many of these users will convert into paying subscribers.”
Naturally what this doesn’t show us is the ability of the marketing event to convert those who took advantage of the free weekend into paying customers. Time will tell on that one.
The Indian market, which tends to be a market that is hesitant at paying for premium services is still one Netflix is making major strides to try and crack. Whether it’s through unique pricing structures and the massive investment in local talent, it’s clear Netflix isn’t going to give up on the country which has a population of 1.35 billion.
Will StreamFest be coming to your region in the future? This could indicate the answer is yes and what’s interesting is that if nothing else, it allows Netflix to capture emails and phone numbers to hit with direct marketing down the line.
Did you take advantage of StreamFest in India? Let us know in the comments.
