Netflix has crossed 208 million paid subscribers worldwide as of the first quarter of 2021. The most-watched streaming service of the world added 4 million subscribers during the first 3 months of the present year alone. Most of these subscribers are based in the United States and Canada, with the U.S. and Canada accounting for over 74 million of Netflix’s total global subscriber base.
With the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing-fueled growth, Netflix is now offering limited free access to several original series and movies. New viewers can watch some of the web series without any charges or even a subscription.
The new promotion introduced allows free streaming of the first episode of 7 shows in total. With free access, one can watch the full movie with all language options, though only the first episode of the first season is available for TV shows.
But the good news is one doesn’t even need a Netflix account to make use of this offer.
In a public statement, Netflix said:
“We’re looking at different marketing promotions to attract new members and give them a great Netflix experience.”
The free content is, however, not available on the app and can be watched only on the Netflix website. To watch Netflix’s free selection of shows one simply needs to visit the Netflix Watch Free website.
If you browse the library of free titles and click “Watch Now” you can stream the episode you want to preview. Unlike one-month free trials, no subscription or account information is needed to watch these free episodes.
The free streaming service is operational across nearly 200 nations and territories. The current free content menu of Netflix Original movies and TV shows includes “Stranger Things,” “Love is Blind,” “Elite,” “Boss Baby,” “When They See Us,” “Our Planet” and “Grace and Frankie.”
According to the Netflix help page, this service is only supported by browsers on computers Windows PCs, or Macs and Android devices. Other platforms like iOS, smart TVs, or Fire Stick and incognito mode are not supported. A 30-second skippable ad for Netflix also plays before every title.
In October last year, Netflix stopped giving one month of free trials across markets. With the free trials gone, these previews can save the day for both Netflix and the users. Besides, Netflix has different subscription plans for different user markets. Users have the freedom to change their plan or cancel online at any time without any cancelation fee.
Currently, Netflix offers three subscription plans in three different budget ranges: Basic, Standard, and Premium. The Netflix Basic plan functions on a single device and costs $9 a month, the Standard plan allows HD streaming on up to two devices for $14 a month and the Premium plan offers Ultra High Definition Resolution on up to four devices for $18 a month.
Now Netflix is trying to attract a bigger user market by offering free access to its originals. Prior to this, in September 2019, it offered the first episode of Bard of Blood in India and Élite season 2 in parts of Latin
America for free. But this time around, it’s taken the select free access tactic globally, and with a lot more originals in play.
Netflix is not the first streaming service to try the free access tactic, Google-owned YouTube has done the same for its originals before it was replaced by an ad-driven model.
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