Flipkart takes on Amazon with free video streaming service

Walmart Inc.'s Flipkart plans to start a free video streaming service in India in the coming months, to take on its rival Amazon by borrowing tactics.

People familiar with its plans said India's largest online retailer plans to launch video streaming for members of its Flipkart Plus loyalty program for September before Diwali's high shopping season. The service is currently in beta mode, people said, asking that they not be identified by discussing the internal strategy.

Flipkart Online Services Pvt is entering a red-hot market but is catching up by taking a page from the Amazon playbook. The Prime Video service of the US retailer has demonstrated for years a decisive role in retaining buyers and attracting new ones.

Initially, Flipkart will not produce originals, a route that has proven costly for online platforms that include Netflix Inc. It will license content from companies such as Walt Disney Co. and local studios such as Balaji Telefilms, people said. Internal content could come later, they added, reported by Money Control.

Flipkart Plus video stream will be free just like its loyalty program without a subscription fee. Flipkart buyers can become members by accumulating 300 "super coins" at a rate of 2 for every Rs 100 spent on their platform. Users can exchange those tokens for items from flight tickets, food delivery to car rentals and music streaming subscriptions.

Flipkart Plus launched its rewards program in 2018 when Amazon Prime already had an established presence in India, with original shows and a Bollywood library and movies in regional languages to accompany the international rate. The service costs ₹ 999 annually or ₹ 129 per month.

Walmart paid $ 16 billion for control of the Indian e-commerce pioneer Flipkart in 2018, acquiring the privileged position in one of the fastest-growing areas in the world.