Is saying, "the mass consumer market remains value-conscious" just a polite way of saying that Indians don't feel like wasting their hard earned money when pirating is easy?
Or is it that regular priced Netflix is a large enough portion of a normal Indian's income that they don't feel like they get enough to watch for their money?
Most of the people I know in America basically shrug off the price of Netflix as the cost of a few cups of coffee per month
I'm not sure what the right interpretation is, but they kind of lead to different business strategies. The first (easy piracy) is not really Netflix's problem to solve, it's the government's problem. The second (content for money) is either that Netflix needs to invest in more Indian shows or lower their prices even more.
I think your second interpretation looks right. Media has this rather irritating habit of not simply saying that "Most people can't afford" these services. Instead they come up with bullshit like "value-conscious", "value/price-sensitive" "hard negotiator/bargain hunter" etc.
Poverty/Income level topics are reserved for UN or WHO type reports and research papers.
Regarding 'piracy vs content for money' I'd add in Indian context it is same thing. People pirate not because high idealism like "content wants to be free" but mainly because most people can't afford any better. If one reverse argument and say people will stop pirating if content is conveniently available like via netflix it will still not work because even 2 dollar/month is too expensive for people who would rather have rented pirated DVD for 5-10 cents and multiple families watch together.
Or is it that regular priced Netflix is a large enough portion of a normal Indian's income that they don't feel like they get enough to watch for their money?
Most of the people I know in America basically shrug off the price of Netflix as the cost of a few cups of coffee per month
I'm not sure what the right interpretation is, but they kind of lead to different business strategies. The first (easy piracy) is not really Netflix's problem to solve, it's the government's problem. The second (content for money) is either that Netflix needs to invest in more Indian shows or lower their prices even more.