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Tag: Amazon Prime Video

  • Amazon Prime Video unveils trailer of comedy talent hunt ‘Comicstaan’

    Amazon Prime Video unveils trailer of comedy talent hunt ‘Comicstaan’

    MUMBAI: International tech giant Amazon’s video streaming platform is putting a great deal of effort to gain a foothold in the Indian market. Since its launch, the company has focused on ramping up its original content, with comedy forming a key component of its growth strategy. With the trailer launch of Comicstaan, Amazon Prime Video has made another addition to the list.

    The talent hunt series has been produced by Only Much Louder (OML) that has put out shows such as On Air with AIB and Comedy Hunt. To mentor as well as judge competitors, Tanmay Bhat, Kenny Sebastian, Sapan Verma, Naveen Richard, Kaneez Surkha, Kanan Gill and Biswa Kalyan Rath have been signed up by the platform.

    The new Prime original series consisting of nine episodes will be available to members from July. The first four episodes will be released on the launch day, with others following suit on a weekly basis.  

    Hailing comedy as an equally attractive category like cricket and Bollywood Amazon Prime Video India content head and director Vijay Subramanian said, “When we asked our customers what are things they would love to watch comedy was right up there. So, there were two things we could do. One, acquiring some of the best comedy movies in Hindi and other regional languages. Same time, we can actually create a new space with stand-up comedians.”

    Amazon’s competitors Netflix and Hotstar are also trying to tap into the comedy scene. ALTBalaji even launched stand-up comedy videos in regional languages.

    “We will continue to acquire the best movies across various languages. We are going to ramp up on our Indian originals. In second half of this year we are going to launch three more. Next year we hope to have 10 originals. And you will continue to see some other biggest blockbuster films on our service.” Subramanian commented on Amazon Prime Video India’s plans for next year while speaking to Indiantelevision.com.

    While there were speculations in the media that Amazon Prime Video was contemplating kick-starting its own production house, the spokesperson of the company did not offer any clarification. However, he said the company is right now focused on just getting good content by betting big on originals. The equation with partners like OML, Excel Entertainment, the production houses with which Amazon Prime Video partnered for Indian originals, are very good right now.

    “Comicstaan is the exciting next step in our long and fruitful relationship with Amazon. It ties all the best parts of Indian stand-up together into something fresh. Getting the country’s top comedians to nurture and mentor new talent is an idea that excited us, and it’s been extremely rewarding to see it all come together,” OML COO Ajay Nair said.

    Recently Amazon has added a new prime subscription plan at RS 129 per month for Indian consumers. When Subramanian was asked about that, he emphasized on the flexible options for customers to choose the plan.

    The company realises that being locally relevant is very important to survive in Indian market. Hence, their investments for regional expansion plans will continue. However, when it comes to Indian original shows the company will prioritize its Hindi library for now.

    Also Read :

    Amazon India’s new monthly subscription plan

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

  • Amazon Prime Video shows you ease of watching anywhere

    Amazon Prime Video shows you ease of watching anywhere

    MUMBAI: Amazon Prime Video has launched a new campaign that shows its superiority in terms of choosing the time of watching. Created by Leo Burnett India, it calls consumers to its unrestricted access to content at any time.

    Speaking about the new campaign, Amazon India CMO Ravi Desai said, “At Amazon, our focus has always been the customer. Our new campaign highlights the various benefits linked to Prime Video in India. With a premise of ‘Anytime, Anywhere,’ we have kept customer benefit at the centre of the campaign, which marks the next chapter in the larger story around the popular Prime Video Couple – Rohan and Roshni. We understand the need of consumers to be unshackled from the constraints of their traditional alternatives. With a very wide library of content choice available, Prime Video empowers our consumers to define and dictate what they watch and when they watch it.”

    The first film is about a couple watching Padmavat on Amazon Prime video when the girl gets a call from her mother to come have her laddoos. While she tells her guy that they have to sort this problem, he soothes her worry by saying that the movie can continue on the phone while they travel.

    Leo Burnett India MD India and chief strategy officer – South Asia Dheeraj Sinha said, “We are building Amazon Prime Video as an alternate and a better choice for consumers when it comes to entertainment. Amazon Prime Video puts the viewer in command. This is reflected in our positioning – ‘India Ka Naya Primetime’. We started this journey last year by talking about the largest and the latest library, and our exclusive content. The current campaign builds on the role of the liberator further. It amplifies how Amazon Prime Video sets you free, letting you decide where to watch and when to watch your entertainment. The campaign draws from a typical banter between a couple about who is the ‘ghulam’. The phrase also works as a reference to not being a host to your entertainment.”

  • 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

  • Shilpa Shetty makes digital debut with Amazon dating show

    Shilpa Shetty makes digital debut with Amazon dating show

    MUMBAI: In order to build a strong footprint in India, Amazon Prime Video has announced a new show Hear Me. Love Me around the concept of blind dating.  Bollywood actress and fitness guru Shilpa Shetty will host the show marking her debut on a digital platform.

    In search of “perfect recipe for love”, the show combines modern-day technology with the rules of old-world romance. Young women between 21 and 32 years of age, with different aspirations and from different walks of life, make an attempt to find love and companionship. The single woman who will be set up on three dates in a single day won’t be able to see what her dates look like. The theme is geared towards attracting India’s millennial audience.

    “This show is fun and fresh and we believe it will appeal to our current and future Prime members. It is based on the premise of choosing a date, but with a big twist and in a never-seen-before format in India.  I think Shilpa is a great fit for this show and the audience will love the role she plays in this Prime Original. We’re excited to add Hear Me. Love Me. to the slate of innovative shows we’re making for our Prime members,” Amazon Prime Video content director Vijay Subramaniam said.

    The show is being produced by FreemantleMedia India, which uses technology to take virtual dating to the next level. After three dates, the single woman has to choose one from among the dates. During the time of decision-making, Shilpa Shetty will help contestants.

    The bachelors wear a mini camera on their chest sharing their lives, but never revealing their faces, thereby eliminating looks as a deciding factor. This format provides a sneak peek into the day of the life of the date.

    “I am thrilled to make my digital debut with Amazon Prime Video with this unique reality show. I am sure all of us have wondered if looks are everything when it comes to dating.  Hear Me. Love Me. puts this concept to the test! The format of this unusual and edgy reality show revolves around dating through the heart.  The show tries to uncover what each contestant values the most in their date,” Shilpa Shetty said.

    Also Read :

    Amazon strikes the balance between bingeing and episodic with ‘Breathe’

    Amazon India to launch 10 originals in 2018

  • Amazon Prime Video secure exclusive rights to new series of american idol in UK for first time

    Amazon Prime Video secure exclusive rights to new series of american idol in UK for first time

    MUMBAI: American Idol, the iconic series that revolutionized the US television landscape by pioneering the music competition genre, goes global as FremantleMedia International completes deals for the new series in 150 territories.

    The latest deal to have been completed is with Amazon Prime Video UK, which will see American Idol air exclusively in the UK the day after it first airs in the US.

    On the deal,  EMEA for FremantleMedia International, EVP, Head of Sales and Distribution, Jamie Lynn said: “American Idol has launched to fantastic ratings on ABC in the US and we are excited that Amazon Prime Video will become the exclusive home of the new series in the UK with this unique deal. To see one of the biggest entertainment shows on a streaming service is a not only a first, but testament to the appetite for American Idol and will be a whole new way to reach fans of the series.”

    FremantleMedia International’s global sales team have secured a multitude of new international deals for new season of the entertainment series with CTV (Canada), Foxtel (Australia), Canal Sony (Latin America), MNET (Africa), SIC (Portugal and Portuguese-speaking Africa), Intervision (Greece), Three (New Zealand), Fjarskipti (Iceland), Novalifε (Greece), Sia All Media (Lithuania), Marjan Television (Farsi-speaking MENA), beIN (MENA) and beIN Series Home&Entertainment (Turkey).

    Helping to determine who will ultimately become the next singing sensation are music industry forces and superstar judges, Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie. Emmy Award-winning producer Ryan Seacrest returns as host of the beloved series.

    American Idol launched on ABC to an overnight audience of 10.3 million, making it the number one show in its timeslot and more than doubling the slot average. The “Idol” format has taken on original versions in 55 countries around the world, and American Idol itself has played to a worldwide audience across 150 territories.

    To date, American Idol has earned 57 Emmy nominations and eight wins, including the prestigious Governors Award in 2016, and its talented discoveries have already won 13 Grammys, two Golden Globes and an Academy Award, among numerous other accolades. The show has launched the careers of superstars Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson, Katharine McPhee, Adam Lambert and Chris Daughtry, among many others. American Idol contestants have sold more than 61 million albums, resulting in more than 47 Platinum records.  Its participants have generated more than 444 Billboard No. 1 hits and sold more than 257 million digital downloads.

    “American Idol” is produced by FremantleMedia North America and CORE Media Group’s 19 Entertainment. Executive producers include FremantleMedia North America’s Trish Kinane and Jennifer Mullin, along with executive producer Phil McIntyre representing CORE Media. FremantleMedia International distributes the series worldwide

  • Gaurav Gandhi to head Amazon Prime Video India

    Gaurav Gandhi to head Amazon Prime Video India

    MUMBAI: The man behind building Viacom18’s digital venture Voot into a giant OTT platform in India is all set to head rival international player Amazon Prime Video as its director and country manager, India. A source tells Indiantelevision.com that Gandhi, who was on the top priority list, will be taking up the charge very soon.

    When Nitesh Kripalani quit in mid-2017, the position, which Gandhi will now fill, was empty and Vijay Subramaniam was roped in for the interim period.

    Gandhi was with Viacom18 for eight years in various roles. He joined Viacom18 in 2010 as COO and, within 11 months, he became the head of distribution and international business. After this, he was COO of Sun18 North before moving to IndiaCast Media Distribution (a joint venture between TV18 and Viacom18. Gandhi’s mandate was to monetise all channel and content assets across media, platforms and geographies.

    He is credited with growing its franchise overseas, establishing a strong distribution business at IndiaCast and leading the commercial function during the early days of the organisation.

    Before joining Viacom18, Gandhi was with NDTV Imagine as executive VP of business operations and content sales and Star Group as VP commercial and business planning.

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  • Amazon Prime Video inks pact with Disney India for Marvel, ABC titles

    Amazon Prime Video inks pact with Disney India for Marvel, ABC titles

    MUMBAI: Amazon Prime Video announced a landmark content deal with Disney India to make it the streaming home for seven brand new upcoming international titles from Marvel and ABC. These shows will be available to Prime members in India immediately after they premiere in the US.

    The seven shows include four exciting new Marvel series, including Inhumans and Runaways, that are already available to stream, as well as Cloak and Dagger and three ABC series including The Crossing, Station 19 and the already available show – Freeform’s Alone Together. Additionally, Prime members can watch complete seasons of their favorite international hit series, including Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy, Criminal Minds, Castle, Scandal and Scrubs.  

    “We are elated to bring quality content from Marvel and ABC to our Prime members. Whether it’s bingeing on past seasons of an old favorite or discovering your new favorite show, we believe that everyone will find something to enjoy,” said Amazon Prime Video India director content Vijay Subramaniam.

    South Asia regional head – media distribution & OTT Amrita Pandey said, “It’s critical for us to make our diverse content available to fans everywhere. This opportunity with Amazon Prime Video in India allows us to bring some of our fan favorite shows from Marvel and ABC to Indian audiences on a device of their choice and convenience.”

    Amazon Prime Video claims to have the largest selection of latest and exclusive movies and TV shows, stand-up comedy, ad-free across Indian and Hollywood movies, US TV shows, top/popular Indian and international kids’ shows, award winning Amazon Prime Original shows along with content from top Bollywood, regional, Indian and international studios – all available in one location/service.

  • Amazon Prime Video premieres exclusive series die trying created by top comedian Kenny Sebastian, on Valentine’s Day

    Amazon Prime Video premieres exclusive series die trying created by top comedian Kenny Sebastian, on Valentine’s Day

    Amazon Prime Video brings to its viewers another exciting Prime Exclusive series – Die Trying. Die Trying is a 7 episode series about two struggling musicians, created by well-known comedian, Kenny Sebastian. This show is a collaboration between Amazon Prime Video and OML, who also produced other popular Amazon Prime Exclusives like Going Viral, Pushpavalli and Laakhon Mein Ek. It will release on 14th February 2018.

    Comedian and Creator, Die Trying, Kenny Sebastian said, “It’s incredible how Amazon Prime Video provides local creators like me an incredible platform to tell stories to a wide audience. My stand up special which released on Amazon Prime Video in 2017 received a lot of love from viewers across the country and the globe. ‘Die Trying’ is a snippet from my earlier days as a struggling musician and is extremely special from a story point of view as I try to explore how artists see themselves from a creative point of view since I act and even sing in the show.  I hope viewers have a great time watching it (preferably binge watch it)!”

    Die Trying is a story of two Bangalore-based musicians who want to be big music stars. They are convinced that they have what it takes to make it big in the music scene, no matter what people tell them. Armed with only mediocre music and blind confidence, they give their big music dreams a shot.  But, will they make it? Find out this 14th of February, only on Amazon Prime Video.

    Amazon Prime Video has the largest selection of latest and exclusive movies and TV shows, stand-up comedy, ad-free across Indian and Hollywood movies, US TV shows, top/popular Indian and international kids’ shows, award winning Amazon Prime Original shows along with content from top Bollywood, regional, Indian and international studios – all available in one location/service.

    To watch these and other new release Hollywood and Bollywood movies, US TV shows, kids’ programming and Amazon Prime Originals, please visit www.PrimeVideo.com or download the Amazon Prime Video app today and sign-up for a Prime membership.

  • Amazon strikes the balance between bingeing and episodic with ‘Breathe’

    Amazon strikes the balance between bingeing and episodic with ‘Breathe’

    MUMBAI: Edgy and fresh, web content has made its mark in India, breaking free from staid television formats and rules. No time frames, no censorship issues, and women don’t turn into snakes. The west has been bingeing on shows on the internet for long, whereas India has just woken up to the concept recently, thanks to better connectivity and high-resolution video streaming. But, has launching all the episodes, together, caught on as a trend? The answer is both yes and no.

    One of the most talked about series under binge watching section is Amazon Prime Video’s first India original Inside Edge. The Bollywood-cricket web series garnered a tremendous buzz before and after its launch. The most amusing thing is the staggering figure of Rs 40 crore spent by Amazon on the show, speculated as half of it for marketing and the rest for production.

    Amazon Prime Video India director content Vijay Subramaniam said, “When we launched a little over a year ago, we realised there is a clear expectation and desire from our customers to have access to gripping storytelling, high-quality and compelling content. With the customer being at the center of everything we do, we are committed to bringing the best of content for our audiences, supported by immensely talented content creators matched by the most innovative ways to bring them to our audiences.”

    However, Amazon Prime, while releasing its second India original, Breathe, experimented with a new strategy where half the series can be binge-watched and for the rest, you have to wait a week for every new release. The first four episodes of the series were out on 26 January and the remaining four will release every Friday until 23 February. Being a thriller, the strategy is to leave viewers in suspense at a certain point.

    The marketing budget to promote Breathe is around Rs 20 crore. Amazon rolled out a robust, 360-degree campaign across India including highly engaging TVCs, print, digital, cinema, mobile, outdoor campaigns and activations for Breathe. Subramaniam called it a ‘path-breaking digital content in India’. Amazon is tight-lipped about the marketing plan for the last episode.

    Interestingly, India beats the rest of the world in binge watching a series. 71 per cent Indians in 2017 watched more entertainment in a public place than year 2016, according to the study released by Netflix. It was one of the first platforms to start the concept of releasing all episodes at one time for binge watching and others like ALTBalaji, VB on the Web, Voot, SonyLiv etc, followed suit.

    Binge watching has found popularity because Indians are alien to the idea of waiting a whole week for the next episode. They are ready to gulp their favourite series back to back, a trend that rose from the daily saas-bahu serials on TV too. Some OTT players allow paid subscribers to binge watch and unpaid ones have to wait a week. Viu released Spotlight 2 for binge watching, whereas all other series are released on weekly basis.

    SurveyMonkey found that 52 per cent Indians binge watch most at cafes and restaurants, and 37 per cent in waiting in line. Indians binge watch in parks, on the way to work, while shopping and at the gym. The study says that Indians took three days to devour an entire TV series on average, while the global average is four days.

    But the weekly episodic trend is also catching up. Since 2011, YouTube has worked with regional studios to help them get a wider distribution. In 2014, content creators from Mumbai including The Viral Fever (TVF) and AIB were making waves on YouTube and gaining traction while releasing episodes on weekly basis. TVF is said to be the pioneer of Indian web series and still release episodes on a weekly basis on their app TVF Play.

    Despite the fact that binge watching or releasing all episodes at one go attracts more audiences, Amazon took a risk with Breathe. Although, releasing shows in parts have the chances and risk to lose the viewership but weekly releases enable the audiences to keep guessing. Which side will platforms sway in the near future will be an interesting scene to look out for.

    Also Read :

    Amazon Prime Video announces a new original series, Skulls and Roses

    Regional OTT content more than just catch-up TV    

    2017: The year OTTs went regional in India