Indian stories ready to hit global stage: Netflix India's Monika Shergill

The strategy is the same - to become one of the largest entertainment brands in India, says Monika Shergill

Netflix India has been having a great run with shows like Kohrra and Scoop popping up on the global charts. And, it remains the largest and most-profitable pay streaming service in the world. Vanita Kohli-Khandekar had a 90-minute talk with Monika Shergill, vice-president, content, Netflix India, via a Zoom call. Edited excerpts:

What is working for Netflix?

The strategy is the same  —  to become one of the largest entertainment brands in India. When we started (in India in 2016), we were conscious that Netflix is an international service and would work only for a percentage of the Indian audience. We started in many countries simultaneously. Therefore, there was no team here. I joined in the second half of 2019, and within eight months, Covid struck. We were working on getting our content strategy right by buying big films, commissioning series for a very diverse palate, programming for all kinds of moods and figuring out a strategy for the South. Gradually, we were bringing the service closer to the broad audience that we were gunning for. And, we could see the audience signing up for the service and consuming all of what we did — Delhi Crime 2, Darlings, Monica oh my darling, Mission Majnu (one of our biggest films), Jamtara, Rana Naidu and Lust stories. In December 2021, we brought our new programming slate and pricing together. Sooryavanshi, Aranyak, Minnal Murali and Decoupled did very well.

The idea is to become home of the biggest movies post theatrical, biggest series, biggest original films and we definitely programme the loudest documentaries. The Hunt of Veerappan, a four-part, very dramatic and high octane series has just been launched. We were always very clear about where we were headed. But we had to put our heads down and keep sticking to our strategy because content takes time. That is what you are seeing now. The year 2022 has been a terrific year for us. It transformed us into the fastest-growing market (by subscribers) within Netflix across the Asia-Pacific (APAC).

How popular is Netflix in Indian languages? If Kohrra is dubbed and watched by Tamil audiences, is it counted as a Tamil show or a Hindi show?

It is counted as a Hindi show. When we are programming, the language of origin is what it is counted as. We have programmed our originals in Hindi and Punjabi. We have not programmed the original series in any of the South Indian languages yet. But they are under development. But we had original films, which we brought straight to digital. Minnal Murali (Malayalam) became a big title and we also had The Disciple (Marathi).

Has something fundamentally changed in the way you green light? Or, is it that things you green lighted three years ago are coming to fruition now?

It is a combination of things coming to fruition plus the whole task of putting together a greenlight strategy and a content strategy. For Netflix, the comparison and competition is not just what comes to the market. On any given day, a member can choose to watch anything, because as a service, we have unparalleled content from around the world. The moment of truth is when people are watching local content and your content is trending. I don’t think anybody realises how much content is there on Netflix itself. If I commission a film today, it will come not before 18 months and a series will come in 24-30 months. So, what I am programming today has to account for where I will be after 2.5-3 years.

Streaming seems to be going the way broadcast did, given the glut. Are users loyal to a service at all? How important is branding?

I will speak from a Netflix perspective. Netflix is more signed up and looked at as a service for the total value it is bringing. Yes, you will have certain titles driving sign-ups in a certain way but the fundamental core value of Netflix is being a holistic service. We are very clear that being at a certain pricing and plan allows us to be a healthy and sustainable business. It allows us to keep programming the best content and keep investing. We are not rolling back any investment in India. In fact, we are very clear that we are on the right trajectory. We have a great momentum and this is the right time to invest. We also have a path to profitability.

Does the ongoing writers’ strike offer an opportunity for countries like India, South Korea and others to produce more for Netflix? Where is India in Netflix’s global scheme of things?

India is one of the biggest countries with the most unique cultures. It has not just a storytelling tradition but a robust entertainment industry. The creators we have, the business we do and the value of the entertainment/movie making business is so huge that as an entertainment company, India is strategic for us. If you see what happened to RRR, it clearly tells you that the world is ready (for Indian cinema). It was in the global top 10 for 18 weeks and in the fundamental top 10 of 64 countries across the world. It indicates that Indian stories are ready for the global stage. But that journey will happen when they are hits in India. And, that is what we have seen. Chor Nikal Ke Bhaaga has been a raging hit in Latin America. It was on our global top 10 non-English list for one month.

Of the Indian shows that work well overseas, what kind of stories resonate most?

Kohrra is on number one in our global non-English top 10 list of series. That is phenomenal. Delhi Crime has done very well. Khakee was trending in 11 countries. Rana (Naidu) and Class are all doing well. The way the product is designed, things will not trend globally if they are not doing well in India.