Direct carrier billing (DCB) has had an unbelievable year particularly with OTT content media deployment around the world, as major streaming brands seek to capitalise on a vast potential audience of mobile phone users. Research in 2020 has clearly shown that onboarding is optimized when bundled content [eg Spotify and Netflix]is combined with a specialist mobile payment provider – working in partnership with a recognised MNO. ROI is also higher as marketing costs can be vastly reduced by specifically targeting these media offers to an existing (telecom services) user base.
Leading OTT players like Netflix are expanding worldwide, but up until now have been reliant on payment cards to initiatite a subscription. However, this can be a major barrier in emerging markets where banking services and card penetration are often at very low levels. In emerging markets, such as India, OTTs have found that this approach has helped secure a strong foothold in the market. But this modlel is not just limited to developing markets as we also see widescale adoption across the developing word as well.
So what can this new breed of subscriber expect to from one of the leaders in this field?
Netflix is an absolute addiction for many binge-watchers worldwide. With offerings from classic, comedy, mystery, horror, adventure, and many other genres, there’s something for everyone on Netflix, and that’s just what makes the streaming platform a hit!
However, sometimes we may fall into a “choice paralysis” while deciding what to watch next from such a large pool of shows and movies. Or, you may get to hear about a popular Netflix series, but when you try accessing it, you realize it’s not available in your region.
Isn’t that the worse feeling ever? Getting excited to watch something only to realize it’s not accessible to you? Well, if you want to get the most out of your Netflix account and enhance your binge-watching experience, it’s time you checked out these vital tips and tricks:
1. Unblock Netflix International Libraries Anywhere
Netflix is available to watch in 190+ countries, where its content library varies, according to that particular region’s demographics. Therefore, if you reside anywhere outside the US, you only have access to 60% of their complete library (this can be far less for some regions).
Almost 40% of its total content is only available on the US version, which you cannot access, unfortunately, due to geo-restrictions and content blocks. You see, Netflix has to adhere to licensing agreements from partnered distributors and production houses.
The good news is, you can access the US Netflix library with the help of a VPN. Although Netflix uses advanced protection technology to keep VPNs and proxies from breaking its geo-block, with premium VPNs like NordVPN, you can bypass all sorts of blockades.
In addition to utilizing RAM-Infrastructure technology, NordVPN Netflix servers use “Obfuscation,” which transforms VPN traffic into regular HTTPS traffic. Therefore, if you want to unblock the US Netflix library, all you need to do is connect to a US server via Nord.
2. Plan Long Distance Netflix Movie Nights with Friends
The coronavirus second wave has again confined us to our homes with work from home schedules and boring weekends. Even if you can’t go out and have weekend parties, you can still have fun and enjoy a long-distance movie night with friends using the Teleparty browser extension.
Teleparty, formerly named “Netflix Party”, lets you plan and enjoy watching movies online together with your friends who are at different places by synchronizing video playback. The availability of a group chat feature makes the experience more enjoyable, as you can share your comments/reviews in real-time!
3. Fine-Tune Your Movie Search with Category Codes
While searching movies/TV shows, we mostly rely on Netflix’s recommendations on its homepage, according to our past watching history and inclinations. Other times, we select the broader genres that best fit our binging mood at a given time.
There is a third way, not so popular, which can make you search on Netflix like a pro and become a Netflix expert. The VoD uses URLs like these http://www.netflix.com/browse/genre/1365 with number codes at the end for displaying a varied collection of genres.
This 1365 code represents a sub-genre and can lead you to many detailed and specific categories to search movies from. You can tinker around these number codes to find more variety of shows/movies on Netflix, which you may not have seen before!
4. Add and Customize Subtitles in Other Languages
If you find it convenient to watch movies with substiles, you can quickly get this done while streaming with Netflix. You can get the subtitles by going to Netflix through your browser, navigating your account, and clicking on subtitle appearance.
Moreover, if you want to see subtitles in your native language, you can download the Subtitles for Netflix app to check and find subtitles for your relevant movie or TV show.
5. Disable “Are You Still Watching?” Prompt
That’s the thing with binge-watching; you do not like stopping after watching one or two episodes of your fav Netflix shows. With the Never Ending Netflix Chrome extension, you can end the inconvenience caused by the “Are You Still Watching?” popup and changing episodes manually.
With this extension, you are taken to the other episode of your fav show automatically once an episode reaches its end. This is quite a life-saver for those times the TV remote is away from you, and you’re already snuggled in bed, too lazy to get that lazy bum up.
6. Check the Ratings before You Choose the Show
The ratings and reviews make your selection easier and wiser. Unfortunately, Netflix doesn’t offer ratings on its content, making the selection process inconvenient, especially if you are randomly searching for movies based on genres and categories.
However, you can use the Enhancer for Netflix chrome extension to get some powerful insights like IMBD score and drop-off rate of the movies by simply hovering the mouse cursor over movie titles. The drop-off rate gives you a hint of how many people left the show in the middle and other insights.
Wrapping Up
Netflix brings the best of entertainment to your doorstep with its thousands of shows, TV series, and movies. To unblock its international libraries in your region and get a better experience with the streaming service, check out the tips and tricks in this guide, and thank us later!
