[Update: Starts December 5th] Netflix to host 2-day free trial StreamFest event in India

Update (11/20/2020 @ 01:20 ET): Netflix StreamFest kicks off on December 5th. Scroll to the bottom for more information. The article as published on October 21, 2020, is preserved below.

Over the last few months, Netflix has tried a couple of things to get more users to subscribe to its service. The company launched a new affordable mobile-only plan in India, tested a Mobile+ plan with PC support and HD streaming, and even offered a few original shows for free. While these new plans and offers may or may not have attracted new subscribers, Netflix doesn’t seem to be stopping with such promotions anytime soon. As first discovered by XDA’s own Mishaal Rahman and confirmed by Netflix themselves (via Protocol), the company is now planning to host a 2-day free trial event in India to promote its service.

Evidence of this new promotional event was first spotted in the latest version of the Netflix app for Android, which included mentions of an event scheduled for December 4th called StreamFest. During the company’s Q3 2020 earnings call, COO Greg Peters then shed more light on the event and said:

“We think that giving everyone in a country access to Netflix for free for a weekend could be a great way to expose a bunch of new people to the amazing stories we have…Really creating an event, and hopefully getting a bunch of those folks to sign up.”

A Netflix spokesperson has since confirmed the company’s plans to Protocol and added that “We’re always looking at different marketing promotions to attract new members and give them a great Netflix experience.”  If the event proceeds as teased in the app’s code, Netflix StreamFest will be available for all users in India across all supported devices. And users won’t have to enter their credit card details to access free streaming. But anyone who wishes to watch after the two-day event will have to sign up for a regular account.

An in-app text string notes that “Netflix StreamFest is at capacity,” which suggests that there might be a limitation on the number of people able to access the platform during the promotion. Since Netflix regularly tests new features with a small subset of users, limiting access could be a way to compare StreamFest metrics against other forms of promotion. Based on the event’s popularity during its initial run, Netflix may host similar events in other regions as well.

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Update: Netflix StreamFest will kick off on December 5th

Netflix has finally unveiled its plans for the upcoming StreamFest event. The event will start at 12:01 AM on December 5th, and it will last until 11:59 PM on December 6th. During the event, people in India who don’t have an active Netflix subscription will be able to access all the content on the platform for free.

While Netflix will require users to create an account to access the content, it won’t ask users to share their credit/debit card information for the registration process. If you’re looking forward to the binge-watching weekend, you can head over to the StreamFest website today and set a reminder for the event. Doing so is advisable, as Netflix will limit the number of StreamFest viewers. In case you’re not able to secure a spot, you’ll see a notification saying, “StreamFest is at capacity.” But the platform will send out notifications whenever more slots become available.

It’s also worth noting that Netflix StreamFest viewers will get one stream in standard definition, which means that you’ll only be able to stream on one screen at a time with your login information. Netflix further adds that StreamFest users will be able to stream on all supported devices and access all of the platform’s features, including Profiles, Parental Controls, My List, Smart Downloads, and more.

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