ITV

Category: Over The Top Services

  • Netflix hires Shrishti Behl to build original Indian slate

    Netflix hires Shrishti Behl to build original Indian slate

    MUMBAI: For some time now, Netflix has, slowly and steadily, been building its India team. Now the latest to be roped in is veteran content creator Shrishti Behl in the critical position of director for international originals. Both Behl and Netflix were not available for a response but her hiring was confirmed by a source close to the development to Indiantelevision.com. 

    Behl’s joining date has not been announced but she has been charged with helping creating global quality original content out of India, working closely with Indian producers. It is expected to invest close to $100 million  in originals from India to start with over the next couple of years.

    She was to the film industry born. Daughter of producer Ramesh Behl and sister of filmmaker Goldie Behl who is married to Bollywood actress Sonali Bendre. Behl has been an independent go-getter since her teenage days when she jumped into the marketing world at the tender age of 15. It was the sudden demise of her father that compelled the young Behl and her brother Goldie Behl to shoulder the responsibility of their production house Rose Movies.

    The spunky lady has made a name for herself on the small screen when she floated Rose Audiovisuals in partnership with Goldie. With thousands of hours of programming delivered across all channels namely Star Plus, Life OK (Star One), Sony, SAB TV, Colors, ZeeTV, Zoom, Star Gold, Channel V and EPIC. Behl was the brain behind Star Plus’s mega mythological show, Aarambh. 

  • Eros Now to premiere direct-to-digital film ‘Meri Nimmo’

    Eros Now to premiere direct-to-digital film ‘Meri Nimmo’

    MUMBAI: Over-the-top (OTT) platform Eros Now has announced its first direct-to-digital film Meri Nimmo in association with Colour Yellow Productions and Aanand L Rai. The film will have its worldwide premiere on 27 April 2018 on the platform. This association is the first of the many that Eros Now and Colour Yellow Digital are planning in 2018-19.

    “This launch is a mega step in the evolution of the film business in India. We are thrilled to extend our relationship with Aanandji, with whom we share a wonderful synergy, to the digital space as well. The launch of our first direct-to-digital film Meri Nimmo furthers our promise of offering very engaging original content ensuring a superior consumer experience. With this movie, we embark on a journey of providing filmmakers and viewers across the globe with fantastic programming that might not get a theatrical release and delivers better viewership and engagement on digital,” Eros International group chief content officer Ridhima Lulla said.

    Meri Nimmo was selected for 2016’s NFDC Film Bazaar and will enjoy a straight-to-digital release on Eros Now. The film revolves around an eight-year-old boy who thinks he is in love with a 24-year-old girl and what follows when the object of his affection decides to get married. The story depicts the young boy’s roller coaster ride of emotions set against the backdrop of his beloved Nimmo’s impending nuptials.

    “The trailer went live on Monday. We released the music of this on Tuesday and on Friday the film is releasing. It’s not like a six to eight week marketing campaign. It’s very different from the existing construct of how a film is mounted and released,” Eros Digital COO Ali Hussein said.

    On the marketing front, the company will promote the film offline too going beyond the confines of digital. The teasers are already being shared on the socials of Eros Now. Based on the audience reaction, the company may release the film in theatres as well.

    Ali said that the OTT platform would focus on long-term episodic content, original movies and short films. The platform wants to remain true to what it is rather than going into areas where it is yet to build expert.

    “Developing content for digital consumption on Eros Now was a natural progression after our association together on films for the big screen. The digital world excites as well as challenges me and at Colour Yellow Digital, we can’t wait to paint this blank canvas and present Indian content targeted towards audiences for this medium. Meri Nimmo is one such film that’s very Indian at heart and I’m sure it will strike the right chord with its beautiful storytelling and stand-out performances,” filmmaker and producer Rai said.

    Also read:

    Eros Now joins hands with RCB for IPL debut

    Eros Digital ropes in former Google exec Ali Hussein as COO

  • BBC Studios, HOOQ India sign content deal for three British dramas

    BBC Studios, HOOQ India sign content deal for three British dramas

    MUMBAI: Indian viewers will get access to nearly 200 hours of top BBC dramas—Luther, Maigret and Wolf Hall—as a result of a content deal between BBC Studios and HOOQ India. The announcement was made on the second day of the Asia Pay TV Operators Summit (APOS) in Indonesia.

    “We have seen increasing interest in premium British dramas in India and are very pleased to be working with HOOQ to deliver quality British drama to meet this demand. We are confident that the programmes will be well received by HOOQ’s subscribers,” said BBC Studios SVP and GM of India and Southeast Asia Myleeta Aga.

    Programmes include BBC’s award-winning crime drama Luther, a gripping psychological thriller driven by an intellectually brilliant but emotionally impulsive cop John Luther (Idris Elba); Maigret, a drama rendition of Georges Simenon’s bestselling crime stories set in 1950s Paris, played by actor Rowan Atkinson; and Wolf Hall, an intimate portrait of Thomas Cromwell (Mark Rylance), the brilliant consigliere to King Henry VIII (Damian Lewis), as he manoeuvres the corridors of power at the Tudor court. 

    “We are always looking out for new content to entertain our subscribers and we are very excited to share with our Indian subscribers these award-winning and highly rated dramas from BBC Studios. Our subscribers have come to know and love the content that we constantly bring to them and we will continue to add more hours of exciting and amazing entertainment to keep India HOOQ’d!” HOOQ chief content officer Jennifer Batty said.

    Also Read :

    Zulfiqar Khan joins Hooq India as MD

    Hooq to maintain its Hollywood focus in India

  • Viu to produce 70 originals in 2018

    Viu to produce 70 originals in 2018

    MUMBAI: The pan-Asian OTT platform Viu will see 70 titles and over 900 episodes of locally produced content by the end of this year. Produced in Indian, Chinese, Indonesian and Arabic languages, Viu Original spans the full spectrum of TV content genres and has extended its production scope to movies. Since the beginning of 2018, OTT platforms in India are boosting their original content.

    “With the evolution of OTT streaming service and consumers adoption, quality content with strong relevance is the key to our continued high engagement with viewers. Viu aims to introduce the refreshing local productions in various markets, including Spotlight 2 produced by Bollywood director Vikram Bhatt, and Kenapa Harus Bule? by award-winning Indonesian director Andri Cune. Our latest Viu Original series development of The Bridge, a popular international TV series, will be remade with Asia context and filmed in Singapore and Malaysia. By working with top tier local talents and production houses, we fulfil our brand promise to provide Viu-ers with compelling localised entertainment,” PCCW Media Group managing director Janice Lee said.

    Viu not only works with top award-winning directors and production talent in the markets, but also employs highly innovative ways to come up with new ideas for its originals. Viu ‘crowd sources’ Viu Original ideas in an event called Viu Pitching Forum in Indonesia, where young filmmakers are encouraged to pitch their ideas before a team of renowned experts, including award- winning producers, directors and scriptwriters. Viu will fund shortlisted ideas and collaborate with professional filmmakers to produce them for airing.

    “We are encouraged by the overwhelming positive response from viewers for Viu Original and we will continue to create many more fresh and engaging originals tailored to ourmillennial Viu-ers. We are especially proud to provide a platform for young talent in local markets to showcase their creativity and gain popularity among our viewers,” Lee added.

    Viu Original has recently launched a foray of full feature movies. High Jack, which is co-produced with award-winning Phantom Films in India, is scheduled to be screened in 450 Indian theatres followed by viewing on the Viu platform. Working alongside its broadcast partners, Viu aims to bring Original to free-to-air and pay-TV audience around the world. Viu has collaborated with Zoom TV – a Bollywood pay-TV channel and Gemini TV – a pay-TV channel owned by Sun Network, to deliver its original content in India.

    Also Read :

    Viu announces the launch of its latest Original, ‘Love, Lust and Confusion’

    Viu and Phantom films join hands for its upcoming movie ‘High Jack’

  • Viu partners Endemol for localised adaptation of ”The Bridge’

    Viu partners Endemol for localised adaptation of ”The Bridge’

    MUMBAI: Video-on-demand service, Viu, has announced a collaboration with production and distribution house Endemol Shine Group to produce a localised, ten-episode adaptation of the global series The Bridge. Viu’s aim is to deliver international content formats tailored to be locally relevant along with local content.

    “Viu previously achieved success in adapting popular entertainment to emerging markets when it brought the CBS Hollywood Squares format to audiences in India, releasing Tollywood Squares. Today’s news is in that same vein and we believe that working with Endemol Shine to tell this gripping story, while also making it uniquely our own, will captivate our viewers,” Viu Malaysia country manager Kingsley Warner said.

    The Bridge is hugely popular in Europe and the US. The series is expected to shoot in July and begin airing in Malaysia and Singapore later this year. In the crime drama, a body is found on the border of two countries, forcing an investigator from each country to work together to solve the case.

    “Partnering with Viu is a natural fit for us, given it’s the leading OTT in deliver international content formats tailored to be locally relevant Asia. We expect the premium format of The Bridge to resonate strongly in this region,” Endemol Shine International chief executive Cathy Payne said.

    The Bridge (Bron/Broen) was originally created and written by Hans Rosenfeldt as a joint production of Sweden’s Filmlance International, part of Endemol Shine Group and Denmark’s Nimbus Film. The Bridge (Bron/Broen) was produced in co-production with Sveriges Television, DR, ZDF German Television network, ZDF Enterprises Gmbh, Film i Skåne, NRK, Copenhagen Film Fund, Lumiere Group, Stiftelsen Ystad Österlen Filmfond, with from Norvision and in co-operation with Malmö Stad.

    Also Read :

    Viu announces the launch of its latest Original, ‘Love, Lust and Confusion’

    Branded content drives Viu

  • Online video growth zooms across Asia with internet TV consumption: MPA

    Online video growth zooms across Asia with internet TV consumption: MPA

    MUMBAI: In a landscape still dominated by TV, the Asia Pacific online video industry seems to be on a path to double its share of video industry revenue ex-China from 9 per cent in 2017 to 20 per cent by 2023, according to analysis released today by Media Partners Asia (MPA).

    The findings will be presented at the APOS Summit (April 24-26), an event for industry leaders in media, telecoms and entertainment, in Bali, Indonesia.

    The analysis covers 12 markets: Australia, India, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan and six key markets in Southeast Asia, with a focus on consumer and advertiser spend, content costs and market share across key clusters.

    MPA executive director Vivek Couto said: “The growth of subscription and ad-supported video services from Amazon, Facebook, Netflix and Google will propel these FANG companies to a combined 63 per cent share of Asia Pacific online video revenues ex-China by the end of 2018.

    Google-owned YouTube’s dominance is reflected by its 70 to 90 per cent slice of a large and fast-growing online video ad pie in Australia, Japan, Southeast Asia and India. In addition, Amazon and Netflix have scaled quickly with subscription video offerings in Australia, India and Japan but have a long way to go in Southeast Asia and Korea. There’s also a long runway for more growth in India.

    Encouragingly, local and regional players with strong entertainment and sports IP together with, in many instances, large TV businesses, have invested in online video platforms to grab a bigger market share. This is especially true in India, Korea and Japan, although Southeast Asia lags.

    The outlook remains in FANG’s favour, however, with its aggregate market share maintained at 62 per cent in 2023. Such scale will dramatically alter growth and investment dynamics across key markets. We see significant upside for local and regional media platforms with attractive IP and strong execution as well as the appetite and patience to invest over the long term across digital video.

    Excluded from MPA analysis are potential all-in premium offerings from Disney, 21st Century Fox and Time Warner, which are likely to start gaining traction at some point over the next five years as global media consolidation accelerates.

    FANG’s share could also be greater once Amazon Prime Video scales up in Australia and key markets across Southeast Asia. This is not yet included in the assumptions underlying MPA’s analysis.”

    Key highlights from the MPA survey include:

    FANG vs The Rest

    The growth of subscription and ad-supported video services from Amazon, Facebook, Netflix and Google will propel the FANG companies to a combined 63 per cent share of Asia Pacific online video revenues ex-China by the end of 2018. Google-owned YouTube’s dominance is reflected by its 70 to 90 per cent slice of a large and fast growing online video ad pie in Australia, Japan, Southeast Asia and India. Amazon and Netflix have scaled quickly with subscription video offerings in Australia, India and Japan but have a long way to go in Southeast Asia and Korea. There’s also a long runway for more growth in India.

    Encouragingly, local and regional players with strong entertainment and sports IP and, in many instances, large TV businesses, have invested in online video platforms to grab a bigger market share. This is especially true in India, Korea and Japan although Southeast Asia lags.    

    According to MPA, YouTube and Facebook combined will account for 72 per cent of online video advertising in Asia Pacific ex-China by 2023, versus 75 per cent at end-2018. In subscription-based online video, Amazon and Netflix’s combined share of the market should reach 35 per cent in 2018 and grow to 37 per cent by the end of 2023, although local and regional platforms are competing for and winning a share of incremental dollars in Australia, India, Japan, Korea and parts of Southeast Asia.

    Content Investment

    Total content investment in TV and online video across the 12 surveyed markets reached $23.1 billion in 2017, up 6 per cent year on year (yoy). MPA’s analysis includes movies, entertainment and sports. Content investment is expected to scale to $30.1 billion by 2023, a 5 per cent CAGR from 2018. Such growth is largely anchored to new dollars being spent across online video, which will account for 17 per cent of content investment by 2023 versus 10 per cent in 2018. MPA analysis focuses on premium video content creation across TV and OTT but excludes costs associated with the billions of hours being mass produced and uploaded on YouTube.

    Content investment on TV is largely anchored to continued growth in sports rights, across Australia and India in particular, entertainment on free TV across Southeast Asia, albeit expanding at a more moderate pace, and pay-TV in India and Korea. Online video’s contribution to total TV and online video content costs will grow markedly in Southeast Asia, rising from 10 per cent to 20 per cent between 2018 and 2023. A similar growth trajectory is evident over the same period in Australia (13 per cent to 26 per cent) and India (10 per cent to 19 per cent).

    The Overall Video Industry

    Asia Pacific advertising and subscription fees across TV and online video grew 3.9 per cent ex-China in 2017 to reach $60 billion. TV and online media continue to grow at different speeds, as expected, with TV revenues inching up 1.2 per cent in 2017 while online video revenue expanded by 45 per cent to $5.2 billion.

    MPA projects that total industry revenues will climb at a 3.8 per cent CAGR over 2018-23 to reach $77 billion by 2023, with online video scaling up by a 16 per cent CAGR to reach $15 billion in net terms by 2023 versus $7.1 billion in 2018. TV will only grow at a 1.8 per cent CAGR over the same period to reach $62 billion by 2023.

    By 2023, the largest TV and online video markets in Asia Pacific ex-China will be: Japan ($27 billion), India ($17 billion), Korea ($9.2 billion) and Australia ($8.2 billion). Southeast Asia will contribute $11.1 billion by 2023. India will remain the fastest-growing video market, growing at an average annual rate of more than 8 per cent over 2018-23, followed by Southeast Asia with 5 per cent and Australia at 4.5 per cent.

    Online Video

    Online video advertising, dominated by YouTube to date, continues to grow at a stellar pace, increasing by 47 per cent in Asia Pacific ex-China to $3.6 billion in 2017 and projected by MPA to climb at a 17 per cent CAGR between 2018-23 to reach $10.7 billion by 2022. Online video subscription fees are growing rapidly from a very low base, up 41 per cent year-on-year in 2017 to reach $1.7 billion and forecast to grow at a 12 per cent CAGR from 2018 to more than $4 billion by 2023.

    Japan and Australia will remain the leading markets for online video, contributing more than 55 per cent to Asia Pacific revenues ex-China in 2023. The third-largest market will be India, which will also be the fastest growing with a 26 per cent CAGR over 2018-23, with Southeast Asia the second-fastest with a 21 per cent CAGR over the same period.

  • OTTv Mumbai 2018, the Monetization Challenge of OTT Platforms

    OTTv Mumbai 2018, the Monetization Challenge of OTT Platforms

    OTTv Mumbai 2018, powered by Limelight Networks, is scheduled for 17th May 2018 at Taj Lands’End, Bandra, Mumbai.

    The 2nd Edition of OTTv Mumbai, organized by Dveo Media, will bring together major players and leading executives in the OTT and Content Business in India to debate and explore the strategies, models and challenges for monetization of digital video platforms

    The Keynote Address will be delivered by Archana Anand, EVP – Head of Digital, ZEE5 India Business (OTT)
    – ZEE Entertainment, with theme: Creating a digital video platform to meet the entertainment needs of audiences in India & beyond.

    The key topics that will be highlighted at the summit in the panel discussions include How the content strategy can drive monetization? – The weightage of news & sports content in platform monetization – What Business models and pricing strategies to open doors for monetization? – Has the entry of players like Netflix and Amazon created new dynamics for OTT revenue growth in India? – How is the Telco’s and OTT partnership increasing monetization prospects? – How are Facebook’s video ambitions likely to impact on digital video business?

    Over 20 C-Level Executives and Business Heads will attend as Executive Panelist and Speaker from ZEE Entertainment, ALTBalaji, Sony Pictures Networks India, Viacom 18 Digital Ventures(Voot), Hungama, Eros Digital (ErosNow), HoiChoi TV, VIU, Robosoft Technologies, Verizon Digital Media services, Google India, NexGtv, Muvi, TAM Media Research, Vidooly, Atechnos, Syntropic Systems, Republic TV, India Goes Global, iCom Global among others.

    Commenting on the event Deepak Ramsurrun, CEO and Director of Events of Dveo Media, said “OTTv Mumbai 2018 will focus on one of the main challenges in digital video business, that is Monetization. The debates will trigger on the content strategies and revenue models to enhance monetization potential, and on how the evolution and trends in the industry will impact on the future monetization prospects. This 2nd edition of OTTv Mumbai will also allow OTT Business executives to have more insight on the monetization solutions and the latest content delivery trends to enhance the customer experience.”

    OTTv Mumbai 2018 expects to welcome an audience of over 150 executives from Broadcasters, OTT TV players, Telco’s in TV Business, Media & Publishers, Content providers and OTT Technology suppliers & solution providers.

    The Media & Entertainment Association of India is the industry partner to OTTv Mumbai 2018. The technology solution partners include Limelight Networks, Digital Convergence Technologies & L&T Technology Services. Indian Television is the Online Media Partner.

  • Vice Media starts Indian journey promising edgy content

    Vice Media starts Indian journey promising edgy content

    MUMBAI: Global youth media brand Vice Media, which officially launched its operations in India on Thursday in partnership with the Times of India group, will bring content in Hindi and English and has introduced all its digital brands under the VICE.com banner.

    Along with its digital brands, Vice will also premier a late-night prime time television block across the Times of India portfolio, bringing the best of Viceland’s award-winning content to a mass market like India. Viceland is a multinational brand of television channel owned by Vice Media, which also provides programming and was started in 2016.

    According to a statement put out by the company, Vice India’s local content programming will span conversations across topics such as food, music, politics, sports, sex, identity, nightlife, arts, and comedy. The company plans to showcase a wide range youth-oriented content in the coming months, including local mental health crisis, sexual assault on university campuses, navigating life in India as an LGBTQI+ individual, the taboo sex industry, and political action in the region.

    However, it must be added here that last month some media reports indicated that at least a couple of people associated with content generation quit Vice India alleging interference of corporate bosses in editorial matters, especially in those edgy news stories that involved a particular political party in India.

    Beyond Vice’s main partnership with the Times of India group, additional partnerships, including with Facebook, will bring Vice’s content to millions of new viewers in the region through original local production and reporting, and licensing.

    “We are humbled by the response we have received on our content as we launch and are excited to partner people, brands and organisations who are on a mission to connect with India’s youth and impact their future positively,” Vice India CEO Chanpreet Arora said in a statement.

    New offices in Mumbai and Delhi will host full-scale Vice operations, including a local offering of Virtue Worldwide, Vice’s in-house creative agency, and a full-service content production studio, Vice Studio, producing local news, culture, documentary, film and scripted content for television, SVOD, OTT and digital platforms.

    “A large number of people on Facebook in India are young. We are happy to see Vice Media launch in India and excited about the opportunity that people will get to see content that will be relevant, high quality and something, which will encourage meaningful conversations,” Facebook entertainment partnership head, Asia Pacific, Saurabh Doshi said.

    Virtue Worldwide has entered into major brand partnerships that will provide creative services throughout India. Launch partnerships in the region include Mountain Dew (PepsiCo) and Anheuser-Busch InBev. On the heels of its global association, Vice India, in partnership with Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world’s largest brewer, will be working together to create, curate and distribute culture-centric content to augment the reach of the latter’s portfolio brands such as Budweiser in the country.

    “We are excited to extend our global relationship with Vice in India to collaborate on creating immersive experiences. We are confident that this partnership will allow both entities to cater and connect to the passion points of India’s youth,” Anheuser-Busch InBev India marketing director Kartikeya Sharma said. 

    Hosi Simon, CEO of Vice APAC, who was in the country to launch the brand, said, “Our aim is to reach the aspirational mass audience, which is about to make their voices heard loudly in India. We are looking beyond urban India, into the regional emerging and highly curious youth population, which, we believe, will own the future of the country very soon.”

    Rishi Jaitly, CEO of Times Bridge, the arm of The Times Group that has invested  in Vice India, expressed the hope that the operation would become the country’s leading youth media company, “engaging and delighting millennial and Gen Z audiences” across the sub-continent.

    More details on multiple platform partnerships would be announced in the coming months, Vice India said. But it is not clear whether Vice India has applied for Indian government permissions for the Viceland TV channel and whether it would be introduced here at all.

    Also Read :

    Vice Media to launch Vice India on April 2

    Chanpreet Arora appointed CEO of Vice Media India

    VICE to launch digital service with ToI Group 1Q 2017

  • Amazon Prime Video UK adds US Open

    Amazon Prime Video UK adds US Open

    MUMBAI: With the gradual progress in the over-the-top (OTT) market, SVoD providers are increasingly inclining towards sports rights. Amazon Prime Video, one of the biggest players, has been granted the exclusive live telecast rights to the US Open tennis championships in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

    The five-year deal will allow Amazon to bring live and on-demand content to Prime Video members of both territories without any additional cost. Other than four grand slams, Amazon Prime Video is now home to all top men’s tennis tournaments. Back in 2017, it also won the UK rights to the ATP World Tour from Sky.

    Amazon Prime Video members will have access to live match play emanating from the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, home of the US Open.

    “This new partnership allows the USTA to showcase our live and on-demand content to Amazon Prime Video members throughout the UK and Ireland,” USTA chief revenue officer Lew Sherr said. “We are excited to market the telecasts via Prime Video and provide fans more ways to watch tennis matches,” he added.

    “Prime Video is focused on bringing customers a great selection of high-quality entertainment across drama, comedy, documentaries, live sports and more,” Prime Video Europe vice president Jay Marine said.

    This partnership with UTSA will help sports portfolio of the platform to go one step further. “This prestigious event, along with the other exciting tennis coming this year and next, makes Prime Video a destination for tennis fans in the UK and Ireland,” Prime Video Europe channels and sports managing director Alex Green said.

    Also Read :

    India fastest-growing market in first year for Amazon: Jeff Bezos

    Amazon India to launch 10 originals in 2018

  • India fastest-growing market in first year for Amazon: Jeff Bezos

    India fastest-growing market in first year for Amazon: Jeff Bezos

    MUMBAI: Amazon’s unstoppable march continues worldwide, including India. Putting an end to the speculation around the number of Amazon Prime subscribers, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has finally revealed the data in a letter to shareholders. The e-commerce giant has crossed 100 million subscribers for its Prime service globally. In the letter, Bezos specifically talks about its India feat to shareholders: “Prime added more members in India in its first year than any previous geography in Amazon’s history.”

    The letter includes an entire mention to India, not given to any other country, including the US. He said, “Amazon.in is the fastest-growing marketplace in India and the most visited site on both desktop and mobile, according to comScore and SimilarWeb. The Amazon.in mobile shopping app was also the most downloaded shopping app in India in 2017, according to App Annie.”

    He went on to state that Prime selection in India now included more than 40 million local products from third-party sellers and that Prime Video was investing in India original video content in a big way, including two recent premiers and more than a dozen new shows in production.

    For the first time, after 13 long years of the service’s launch, the company has shared such a figure publicly. The reason could also be to counter Netflix’s revelation earlier in the week when it said that its subscriber numbers were up from 117.6 million a year ago to 125 million globally. Bezos started off the letter by congratulating its people for making Amazon rank first on the American Customer Satisfaction Index for the eighth year in a row.

    In the letter, Bezos said that Prime Video continued to drive Prime member adoption and retention, countering analysts who said that Prime Video acts as a catalyst to boost its e-commerce business.

    Since its entry in the Indian market, it has left Netflix behind in the race, its prime competitor in the international market. To strengthen its foothold in the Indian market, it launched original shows for Indian audiences last year. It recently announced a new Prime Original reality show Hear Me. Love Me. It also announced the second season of Inside Edge after the show created a stir after its first season.

    Bezos lauded his customers in his letter. He said, “One thing I love about customers is that they are divinely discontent. Their expectations are never static–they go up. It’s human nature. We didn’t ascend from our hunter-gatherer days by being satisfied. People have a voracious appetite for a better way and yesterday’s ‘wow’ quickly becomes today’s ‘ordinary’. I see that cycle of improvement happening at a faster rate than ever before. It may be because customers have such easy access to more information than ever before.”

    He went on to state that the only way to stay ahead of rising customer expectation is by giving them high standards. He didn’t shy away from admitting that Amazon had seen ‘billions of dollars worth of failures’ on its way to meet this target.

    Amazon Music is also doing well globally. “Amazon Music continues to grow fast and now has tens of millions of paid customers. Amazon Music Unlimited, our on-demand, ad-free offering, expanded to more than 30 new countries in 2017, and membership has more than doubled over the past six months,” the letter read.

    Moreover, Amazon has managed to reduce the amount of time required to teach Alexa new languages using machine translation and transfer learning techniques that has helped it to serve countries such as India and Japan.

    In India, other than competing with local and global OTT players, it is also fighting its domestic e-commerce rival Flipkart. According to a Mint report, Amazon India nearly doubled its authorised capital to Rs 31,000 crore ($4.74 billion) last year. As India is a large market, the company is trying to explore every opportunity to woo more subscribers with better infrastructure and technology.

    “We continue to aspire to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, and we recognise this to be no small or easy challenge. We know there is much we can do better, and we find tremendous energy in the many challenges and opportunities that lie ahead,” Bezos said concluding the letter.

    Also Read :

    Amazon India to launch 10 originals in 2018

    Amazon Prime Music ties up with Saregama