Netflix has been trying to do their best to alleviate stress in the wake of COVID-19 and this time the company has put some money on the line. According to Deadline, the streaming giant has allocated $1 million to the Producers Guild of India Relief Fund, which will aid in “emergency short term relief to thousands of daily wage earners in the Indian creative community who have been directly impacted by the closure of productions.”
In addition, Netflix is also paying up to four weeks worth of work to below-the-line crew members who were slated to work on its own productions in India before the the lockdown was instated. The company didn’t disclose which projects this policy covered.
The donation to the Producers Guild of India Relief Fund is part of a $100 million fund the company has established to give back to the global creative industry as the coronavirus has left many without income. Out of that $100 million, $15 million has been designated to third parties and non-profits providing emergency relief to out of work crew and cast in countries where Netflix operates, Deadline reports.
“We’re grateful to be working with the Producers Guild of India to support the hardest hit workers in TV and film production – from electricians to carpenters, hair and makeup artists to spot boys,” said a Netflix spokesperson. “Crews in India have always been vital to Netflix’s success and now we want to do our part and help those who most need support in these unprecedented times.”
The donation is the latest in Netflix’s various attempts to make the quarantine better for people. In March, the company became the first to adjust to standard definition (SD) viewing in the EU in order to preserve internet bandwidth as more and more people began to work from home.