Netflix has officially announced that they will for the first time be releasing a free tier for the streaming service, however, at this stage, it will be limited to select regions.
In a blog post today the news was announced that Kenya will be the first country to receive this new initiative which is set to bring the service to thousands of people who otherwise wouldn’t have watched the service.
Netflix director of product innovation at Netflix, Cathay Conk wrote in the blog post some of the main goals of this initiative and why Kenya was chosen to start things off.
“If you’ve never watched Netflix before — and many people in Kenya haven’t — this is a great way to experience our service,” Cathy Conk wrote. “And if you like what you see, it’s easy to upgrade to one of our paid plans so you can enjoy our full catalog on your TV or laptop as well.”
To access Netflix’s free plan in Kenya you’ll need an Android device as at this stage it won’t be available on other devices at this stage. The lineup of shows available to users on this tier will be limited, but there is sure to be enough for users to sink their teeth into. Two features that won’t be available at this tier are the ability to download titles for offline viewing or casting to external devices.
Right now, Kenya is the first region to receive this initiative as Netflix gauges its effectiveness in converting users into paid subscriptions, with the potential for it to be expanded in the future.
