TL;DR
- Netflix has launched a free tier in Kenya.
- This is only for Android devices and gives access to a fourth of the catalog.
- Users on this tier can’t download or cast content though.
Netflix is no stranger to offering cheaper plans and other more accessible ways to start streaming. Now, it looks like the company’s latest offering in this regard is a free plan, albeit in one country for now.
Netflix announced yesterday (h/t: Engadget) that it’s now offering a free plan of sorts for Android users in Kenya. Variety reports that this free tier gives access to only about a fourth of the catalog of the paid plans.
This free tier doesn’t require users to enter their payment details either, as you only need to create an account and confirm you’re 18 or older. Nevertheless, users do get personalized recommendations, support for multiple profiles, ad-free playback, and parental controls.
More Netflix coverage: What’s new on Netflix in September 2021?
There are a couple of other downsides to this tier though. Aside from the much smaller content library, the free Netflix tier also won’t let you download content onto your Android device or cast to a TV.
Will this plan come to other countries though? Well, Netflix told Variety that it was launching in Kenya first to test just how effective a free tier could be in attracting paid subscriptions. We can imagine that this tier will therefore spread to other markets if this strategy is indeed successful in Kenya.
