MANILA - Netflix said Thursday it would offer a P149 mobile plan in the Philippines, its cheapest ever in the country, seeking to rope in more subscribers to the streaming fold.

The Philippines is one of only 5 markets with the mobile plan. Netflix chose to offer it here as Filipinos spend at least 3.3 hours daily watching online content on mobile devices, said its director for product innovation, Patrick Flemming.

Filipinos' Netflix engagement on phones is also “twice as much" compared to the global average, Flemming told reporters via video call.

"Our job is to provide so much more value than what our price is, that consumers don’t have to think twice about whether we’re worth trying out... Hopefully it attracts folks who are in the fence, who are wondering whether Netflix is a good fit for them," Flemming said.

Mobile plan subscribers can use their smartphones and tablets to watch and download all content ad-free, and on one screen at a time, Netflix said.

Similar to the more expensive membership tiers, an account can have up to 5 profiles, Netflix said.

The new plan will be the cheapest offering, below the P369 basic, P459 standard and P549 premium monthly fees, it said.

When asked if the new mobile plan would boost revenues in the country, Flemming said: "The reality is that in many countries, Netflix is relatively more expensive...and so in places where we think we'll do a little better by offering a more compelling entry price, we’ll certainly always be evaluating that."

The platform, known for its "Netflix and Chill" slogan, is here to provide "comfort" and act as an "escape" from the stress caused by the global coronavirus outbreak, Flemming said.

"We are happy to be there to provide that comfort. Our product can provide some kind of escape from the pressure," he said.

Asia accounts for 9 percent of total Netflix subscribers, it said. Netflix has over 167 million paid subscribers in over 190 countries worldwide.