Post the success of blockbuster partnership move with Shah Rukh Khan, Netflix now eyes another popular Bollywood veteran, Aamir Khan. According to Mashable’s sources, the on-demand streaming platform is currently engaged in talks with the latter and proposes to bring Aamir Khan Productions’ entire catalogue to the platform.
The partnership further seeks to include exclusive digital rights for Aamir Khan’s upcoming movie “Thugs of Hindostan“, which the company intends to market as a Netflix original. Though Netflix declined to comment on this development, witnessing the company’s desire to extend its reach in the country, the sources seem to be true.
Moreover, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings’ recent visit to India included a meeting with Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan, which further fans the fire. The people aware of the matter said,
The meeting didn’t close everything we wanted, but we’re getting there.
Through its collaboration with Aamir Khan, Netflix might also grab pre-television rights (rights to stream the movie before it is premiered on cable TV) for the Aamir Khan Production movies. However, the production house is against the idea of a simultaneous worldwide availability of its upcoming movies. The popular movies for the company include blockbusters like Academy Award-nominated Lagaan, Taare Zameen Par, Dangal and Dhobi Ghat.
Apart from the said matter, Netflix is also eyeing the rights of Rajnikanth’s upcoming sci-fi movie 2.0. Since its a Rajnikanth film, the prices are exorbitantly high and may fall under Amazon’s collection.
Amazon Prime Video India is the most significant rival for Netflix in India. Though the service was launched much later than the Netflix, it beats the company in numbers majorly due to its low offerings. It also brings a better and much diversified Indian content catalogue for its subscribers in India.
To take on Amazon, Netflix is currently looking for opportunities with local TV manufacturers and planning to integrate Paytm into its app to ease recurring subscription charges. It also already partnered with leading telecos such as Airtel and Idea and looks forward to setting up a full-fledged office in India. It will also invest in creating new content for the Indian market.
