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Tag: Chaitanya Divan

  • Amazon Prime & AMC Networks to launch AMC+ and Acorn TV on Prime Video Channels in India

    Amazon Prime & AMC Networks to launch AMC+ and Acorn TV on Prime Video Channels in India

    Mumbai: Amazon Prime Video & AMC Networks on Friday announced the launch of AMC+ and Acorn TV on Prime Video Channels in India. 

    AMC+ is a premium subscription program that provides prime members access to a variety of ad-free, exclusive series and movies from the US and around the world, as well as high-quality scripted dramas, fan favourites, and franchises. Acorn TV, which offers dramas and mysteries from Britain and other countries without advertisements, will also be fully accessible to Prime customers as part of their AMC+ membership. For the convenience of prime members, premier original programming will be available with subtitles in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu.

    To lock in a one-year membership to AMC+ for Rs 349 via Prime Video Channels, Prime members can now take advantage of a special 50 per cent limited-period promotional offer. With this, consumers can watch content from both AMC+ and Acorn TV on primevideo.com, the Prime Video app on iOS and Android smartphones, smart TVs, connected STBs, and Fire TV sticks. 

    After the initial discount, the subscription will cost Rs 699 per year. For an introductory annual cost of INR 249, Prime customers may also purchase an add-on subscription to Acorn TV alone. Customers who want to solely subscribe to Acorn TV after the introductory offer can do so for Rs 499 per year.

    AMC+ features exclusive new original series (all commercial-free) with new programming premiering each month, including The Walking Dead: Origins (premiering today); western noir Dark Winds (premiering 7 July) executive produced by Emmy-winner George R.R. Martin (Game of Thrones) and Oscar-winner Robert Redford; sci-fi thriller Moonhaven (premiering 4 August) starring Dominic Monaghan (Lost) and Joe Manganiello (True Blood); the acclaimed epic western That Dirty Black Bag starring Dominic Cooper (Preacher); gritty crime drama 61st Street starring Emmy-winner Courtney B. Vance (The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story); and high-octane vampire thriller Firebite, among many others.

    Audiences in India will also enjoy a host of new series from AMC Networks’ biggest franchises, including highly anticipated new dramas from The Walking Dead Universe. Tales of the Walking Dead is a new anthology series with an all-star cast premiering later this summer. Isle of the Dead will follow the popular Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) characters from The Walking Dead into a post-apocalyptic Manhattan, coming exclusively to AMC+ in 2023. AMC+ will also launch a new franchise based on Anne Rice’s best-selling novels from ‘The Vampire Chronicles Series’ and ‘The Lives of the Mayfair Witches Series’. Premiering later this year, Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire is an epic story of love, blood and the perils of immortality. Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches will follow and focuses on an intuitive young neurosurgeon who discovers that she is the unlikely heir to a family of witches.

    “As the destination for the latest, acclaimed and popular international content, at Amazon Prime Video, we believe in super-serving our customers with choice, access and convenience. Since launch last year, prime video channels has expanded the choice of English and international content available to customers further by giving them access to a wide range of exclusive, high-quality programming from multiple streaming services, while offering them the convenience of enjoying their favourite shows and movies at a single destination, with all their favourite prime video features,” said Amazon Prime Video India head of Prime Video Channels & Sports Chaitanya Divan. “We are delighted to partner with AMC Networks and offer our viewers an even wider selection of popular and blockbuster English content. Prime members have loved our extensive selection of premium international content, available as add-on subscriptions, and we are committed to satisfying their diverse entertainment needs.”  

    AMC+ general manager Courtney Thomasma commented, “AMC+ offers viewers thousands of hours of celebrated and award-winning series, including our critically-acclaimed dramas from The Son to 61st Street as well as the next generation of fan-driven franchises including The Walking Dead Universe and Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire. With our upcoming slate of AMC+ Originals like Dark Winds and Moonhaven along with access to Acorn TV’s beloved international mysteries and dramas, AMC+ combines thought-provoking stories and iconic characters in one subscription. We are excited to partner with Prime Video Channels to bring our slate of original programming to audiences in India and look forward to delivering many exclusive premieres in the months ahead.”

    AMC+ also offers full access to AMC Networks’ targeted streaming service Acorn TV at no additional cost. Acorn TV offers ad-free dramas and mysteries from Britain and beyond, including exclusive productions such as Emmy-nominated Queens of Mystery, My Life is Murder starring Lucy Lawless (Xena: Warrior Princess), London Kills, Under the Vines, Keeping Faith and The Madame Blanc Mysteries, fan favourites such as Line of Duty and Doc Martin, and acclaimed series Jack Irish starring Emmy-winner Guy Pearce, The Straits starring Emmy-winner Brian Cox (Succession) and The Good Karma Hospital, among others. Acorn TV’s newest exclusive series, Love Me, stars Hugo Weaving (V for Vendetta) and premieres 27 June.

  • Amazon adds Kannada OTT NammaFlix to Prime Video Channels

    Amazon adds Kannada OTT NammaFlix to Prime Video Channels

    Mumbai: Amazon Prime Video has announced the addition of Kannada video streaming service NammaFlix to Prime Video Channels. Available as an add-on subscription at an introductory price of Rs 299/year, NammaFlix is the tenth channel to launch on the platform. It offers a range of Kannada language content, from films and TV shows to short films across genres, it said.

    In the past few years, Prime Video has been building its library of Kannada content with blockbuster films like “KGF: Chapter 1,” “Roberrt,” “Yuvarathnaa,” and “Kotigobba 3.” The addition of NammaFlix will further increase the choice of Kannada content available to viewers in India.

    “At Prime Video we have worked hard to bring the best of local stories to consumers across the country, expanding the linguistic palette of the Indian video viewing customer. Over the years, we have seen an increasing appreciation for Kannada content, with viewers across the country loving Kannada films on our service,” said Amazon Prime Video India head of Prime Video Channels and Sports Chaitanya Divan.

    “We are now delighted to add NammaFlix to Prime Video Channels, so that customers who enjoy Kannada stories can watch more of what they love. We are certain that Prime Members across the country will value the easy access with add-on subscriptions to NammaFlix’s library that offers Kannada content across genres and formats,” he added.

    “Over the years, Kannada entertainment industry has evolved to offer path-breaking stories that have won the hearts of millions,” remarked NammaFlix CEO Vijay Prakash. “Through our collaboration with Prime Video Channels, we believe that consumers from across the length and breadth of the country will have easy access to discover and watch some of the most popular, local Kannada stories.”

    Besides NammaFlix, customers can also opt for add-on subscriptions of other channels like hayu, discovery+, Lionsgate Play, Docubay, Eros Now, MUBI, hoichoi, Manorama Max, and Shorts TV, available on Prime Video Channels.

  • Prime Video Channels introduces hayu as part of its offering

    Prime Video Channels introduces hayu as part of its offering

    Mumbai: Amazon Prime Video has partnered with NBC Universal to offer its streaming service hayu to its subscribers in India as a part of Prime Video Channels. Prime members can subscribe to hayu at a price of Rs 999 per year, said the statement.

    hayu is already available through Prime Video Channels in other countries including the UK, Canada, Germany, Austria, Netherlands, France, Italy, Spain, and Australia.

    “Since its launch in India last year, Prime Video Channels has received a tremendous response from Prime Members who are delighted with the convenient access to a wide library of content, from multiple streaming services,” said Amazon Prime Video India head of Prime Video Channels and sports Chaitanya Divan. “Continuing with our philosophy of  working with like-minded partners who are equally invested in super-serving customers and offering them quality, consistent entertainment experience, we are excited to collaborate with hayu. hayu offers some of the most popular unscripted shows to audiences globally and their arrival on Channels in India parallels the growing consumer interest in unscripted content on our service. We are certain that our consumers will love viewing their premier reality shows.”

    hayu is a subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service that offers a wide variety of unscripted shows in the English language including “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” “The Real Housewives,” “Vanderpump Rules,” “Below Deck,” “Top Chef” and “Family Karma.”

    “We are thrilled to make hayu even more accessible to Indian super fans,” commented NBCUniversal managing director direct-to-consumer – global Hendrik McDermott. “Already the premiere destination for must-watch content in 29 markets globally, we are delighted to continue our collaboration with Prime Video Channels, by adding another partnership as part of our ongoing, successful expansion strategy.”

  • Amazon launches Prime Video Channels in India; names Chaitanya Divan as head

    Amazon launches Prime Video Channels in India; names Chaitanya Divan as head

    Mumbai: Amazon has taken a giant leap transforming into a super app aggregator as it announced the launch of Prime Video Channels in India. Starting 24 September, Prime members will have the option to watch global and local binge-worthy content including shows, movies, reality TV, and documentaries from eight video-streaming services including discovery+, Lionsgate Play, Docubay, Eros Now, MUBI, hoichoi, Manorama Max, and Shorts TV – each accessible with respective add-on subscriptions.

    Media and entertainment veteran, Chaitanya Divan who joined Amazon in 2019 as part of the company’s leadership team will lead Amazon Prime Video Channels India as head. Prior to this, he was head of business for premium sports in his long stint with Star India. In his career spanning two decades, Divan has worked with HUL, Marico, Star India, and NDTV Imagine.

    Prime Video Channels aim to address customers’ need for a hassle-free entertainment experience, simplified discovery, and frictionless payments. It does so, by acting as an intermediary that allows members to stream content from popular OTT services on the Amazon Prime Video app and website in India through an add-on subscription. Customers therefore will need to pay only for the service they choose. At launch, Prime members can enjoy a special introductory annual subscription offer made available by the OTT channel partners.

    Commenting on the development, Amazon Prime Video, India country manager, Gaurav Gandhi said, “With the launch of Prime Video Channels, we now take the next big step in our journey to entertain India by creating a video entertainment marketplace – first of its kind in India – which will not only delight our customers by giving them even more entertainment choices but also benefit the OTT Channel partners who collaborate with us to leverage Prime Video’s distribution, reach and tech infrastructure.”

    “As content choices explode, a single interface for discovery, streaming, and payments, is a key need for customers and we aim to solve for this with the launch of Prime Video Channels,” added Amazon Prime Video, Head-Prime Video Channels, Chaitanya Divan “Prime Video Channels arrives in India after having successfully launched in 11 countries. Our choice of OTT partners for Prime Video Channels is reflective of our diverse and discerning customers’ entertainment needs and interest areas. The launch marks our effort to collaboratively grow the video streaming segment in the country. We look forward to increasing the selection of entertainment even further, with additional channel partners joining in the next few months.”

    Prime members will be able to watch subscribed Prime Video Channels on the Prime Video app for smart TVs, mobile devices, Fire TV, Fire TV stick, Fire tablets, and Apple TV among other connected devices. Episodes can be downloaded for offline viewing at no additional cost.

    Other than the introductory offers and ease of discovery and payments, customers will also get the benefit of using Prime Video features to view content on Prime Video Channels.

    Elaborating on the same, Divan said, “We define the convenience that Prime Video Channels is offering as a layered benefit covering different aspects such as discovery, payments, etc., and making the overall viewing experience easier for customers. Additionally, all Prime Video features such as X-ray, downloads, and watchlists that are hugely popular among our viewers are available across Prime Video Channels content as well. The partner channels will be accessible on our service with these user-friendly features from the very start.”