Netflix really wants people in Kenya to start watching movies and shows on their streaming service. They are launching a free plan for those who want to check out their extensive library, even though not everything is available on this tier. The good news is that it’s totally free and you don’t have to enter any payment details. The better news is that it’s ad-free as well. The bad news though is that there are of course some limitations to this free tier.
The long-term plan for this is of course to get people accessing the free tier to eventually end up becoming paying Netflix subscribers. They are getting just around one-fourth of the content that’s available on the platform so if they like what they’re seeing, they might sign up so they can enjoy the full catalog as well as the other features of the streaming service. But for now, they can already start watching ad-free, limited content.
There are other limitations aside from access to the full library. Free users will not be able to download content for offline viewing on their mobile device. They can access the app only on their Android smartphone and they will not be able to cast it to bigger screens like their connected TV. So if you are not content with just the free tier and these conditions, you’ll have to sign up for an actual, paying account.
But for the free tier with ad-free access, they will be able to watch some of the most popular series and films on Netflix. There was no mention of what titles they’ll be able to access (other than the ones mentioned in the blog post) and if entire seasons will be available for the tv series. They can also enjoy some other staple Netflix features like personalized recommendations, parental controls, and creating profiles, even for kids profiles. It seems like a pretty good deal for something you won’t have to pay for, at least for a little while.
To sign up for the free tier, they just have to enter an email address, confirm they’re 18 and above and then create a password. No payment information is required except of course when they decide to subscribe. For now, this is only available in Kenya and no news if they’ll be offering it to other countries eventually.
