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Tag: Kelly Day

  • Nicole Clemens makes the prime time move to Amazon’s streaming empire

    Nicole Clemens makes the prime time move to Amazon’s streaming empire

    MUMBAI: Nicole Clemens has swapped Paramount’s fading star for Amazon’s prime position, landing the plum role of vice-president and head of international originals for Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios. The appointment, effective 7 July, sees her trading one streaming giant’s troubles for another’s triumphs.

    Fresh from her stint as president of the now-defunct Paramount Television Studios—where she presided over hits like Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Reacher, and Cross that ironically ended up on Prime Video—Clemens will now orchestrate Amazon’s content conquest across more than 20 territories. Rather like poacher turned gamekeeper, but with better streaming numbers.

    Prime Video International, vice-president Kelly Day  clearly couldn’t contain her glee: “Nicole is a highly respected and experienced media executive who will guide our future international originals slate as we invest for the long term.” Translation: she knows how to make shows that people actually watch.

    The timing couldn’t be more fortuitous. Prime Video’s international division has been on a right tear, churning out more than 140 original series and films across two dozen territories last year—their biggest haul yet. With over 200 million Prime members globally, there’s clearly an appetite for content that doesn’t involve subtitles reading “Netflix Original.”

    Clemens brings serious pedigree to the role. During her Paramount tenure, she shepherded everything from the Emmy-nominated Station Eleven to George Clooney’s Catch-22, plus the entire Star Trek universe for Paramount+. Before that, she spent five years as executive vice-president at FX Networks, overseeing crowd-pleasers like Atlanta and Snowfall.

    Her new empire will span teams across Europe, Latin America, and Asia Pacific, with regional heads including Javiera Balmaceda (Latin America, Canada, and Australia), Tara Erer (Northern Europe), and Nicole Morganti (Southern Europe) all reporting directly to her.

    Additionally, Nikhil Madhok, head of international originals for India, will continue reporting to Gaurav Gandhi, VP of Prime Video APAC and Mena, but will remain a part of Clemens’s leadership team. 

    Supporting the division are Marc Hausmaninger, head of content strategy for international originals, and Sam Semon, responsible for international business affairs. This expanded team underscores Prime Video’s commitment to tailoring content across regions, with Clemens at the helm steering the international creative and strategic direction.

    She’ll initially set up shop at Amazon MGM Studios’ Culver City headquarters before decamping to Prime Video’s London office—presumably for the superior biscuit selection.

    The appointment signals Amazon’s serious intent to challenge Netflix’s global dominance. With international hits like Germany’s Maxton Hall and Spain’s Red Queen already in the pipeline, Clemens will be tasked with ensuring Prime Video’s international slate remains anything but secondary viewing.

  • Prime time for India as Amazon’s streamer doubles down on desi drama

    Prime time for India as Amazon’s streamer doubles down on desi drama

    MUMBAI: At a lively fireside chat during AVIA’s Future of Video India conference, part of the first-ever WAVES summit, Kelly Day, head of international & VP, Prime Video, and Gaurav Gandhi, VP for Asia Pacific & MENA, lifted the curtain on Amazon’s streaming strategy with India in a starring role.

    Kelly Day waxed lyrical about the enduring allure of the big screen, declaring, “We believe in the theatrical window,” and reaffirming Prime Video’s intent to back the box office while keeping its streaming chops strong. The aim? Around 14–15 global theatrical releases a year, because nothing beats the magic of popcorn-fuelled premieres unless you can also watch it at home in your PJs.

    But beyond the cinema, it’s the everything hub approach that’s taking centre stage. “We want to be the first place people think of when they want to watch something,” said Day, noting that with over 200 million Prime members worldwide, Prime Video is less about being everything to everyone and more about helping everyone find exactly what they want.

    For India, that means layering choice upon choice. Gaurav Gandhi detailed how the country has become Prime’s petri dish for innovation TVOD (Transactional Video on Demand) is booming with 7000 plus titles, and 60 per cent get rented every month across 95 per cent of India’s pin codes. The subcontinent is also home to 25 plus channel partners, making it second only to Japan in Prime’s global “channels” play.

    “India is a super important locale,” Gandhi noted, adding that it’s not just a growth engine for Prime sign-ups but also a massive content factory, with one of the largest original slates outside the US. Even more impressive? One in four views of Indian content comes from overseas, proving that regional stories are finding global legs.

    And when it comes to customisation, India’s Prime menu is a buffet: from Prime Lite to full-fat Prime, mobile-only editions to programming in 10 Indian languages, the streamer’s playbook here is all about slicing and dicing its offerings to match the country’s many moods. “We’re learning from India and taking that learning global,” Gandhi quipped.

    So while other platforms try to decode the Indian market, Prime Video seems to have cracked the subtitles and is quietly exporting the script.
     

  • Prime Video goes K-razy: CJ ENM deal brings Korean hits to the global stage

    Prime Video goes K-razy: CJ ENM deal brings Korean hits to the global stage

    MUMBAI: Prime Video is diving deep into the K-drama wave. At the Waves Summit in Mumbai on Saturday, the streamer announced a blockbuster global pact with South Korean entertainment powerhouse CJ ENM locking in multi-year worldwide rights (barring Korea and China) to some of Korea’s most popular and upcoming screen gems.

    Set to kick off in late June with fantasy-romance series Head Over Heels, the partnership will see Prime Video release a slew of exclusives through 2025 and 2026 from Studio Dragon and CJ ENM Studios. Prime members can also binge a revamped line-up of beloved back-catalogue titles like Her Private Life, Another Miss Oh, and gritty fan-favourite Mouse.

    All this will be served with subtitles in 28 languages and dubbing in 11—part of Prime Video’s bid to make Korean content irresistibly accessible to fans from São Paulo to Seoul.

    “This strategic collaboration with CJ ENM reinforces Prime Video’s commitment to bringing the best of Korean entertainment to our customers worldwide,” said Prime Video head of International & VP Kelly Day. “Korean content continues to resonate deeply with global audiences. We’ve witnessed the borderless appeal of Korean storytelling with the phenomenal success of shows like Marry My Husband, No Gain, No Love which not just captured hearts across continents, but also found their place in the Top 10 most-watched non-English language International Originals from 2024, posting super strong viewership outside their country of origin. We are now thrilled to offer new and exclusive titles, alongside a catalogue of consumer favourites exclusively to Prime Video’s global consumer base, in a language of their preference.”

    “At Prime Video, our ambition is to be the first-choice entertainment hub for consumers. From the best of global content, to popular stories from Asia, we want to be a destination where consumers can effortlessly discover their next favourite story. As Korean content continues to find massive audiences worldwide, we’re thrilled to bring these captivating narratives exclusively to our worldwide audiences,” said Prime Video vice president, APAC & Mena Gaurav Gandhi. “Our strategic collaboration with CJ ENM marks a new chapter in this journey, giving Prime members front-row access to some of the most  compelling and innovative content from Korea.”

    “We’re thrilled about this partnership with Prime Video, which allows us to bring our unique Korean stories to an even broader global audience,” said CJ ENM’s content business division executive vice president Jangho Seo. “Korean entertainment has been winning hearts around the world with its compelling narratives, relatable characters, and outstanding production quality. We’ve already seen tremendous success with titles like Marry My Husband and No Gain, No Love, which achieved remarkable viewership milestones on Prime Video and reaffirmed the universal appeal of our storytelling. Through Prime Video’s extensive global reach and strong commitment to multi-language subtitles and dubbing strategies, we are excited to make our upcoming titles even more accessible and enjoyable for audiences across cultures and languages. This collaboration not only strengthens CJ ENM’s global footprint but also reflects our shared vision with Prime Video to deliver captivating stories to fans worldwide. We look forward to building on this momentum and deepening our connection with viewers everywhere.”

    The move cements Prime Video’s growing bet on Korean drama as a frontline act in its global expansion. For subscribers, it’s a K-lovers’ dream. For the industry, it’s another sign that Hallyu isn’t just here to stay—it’s scaling up.

  • Prime Video presents: Trailblazers, celebrates women of Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios

    Prime Video presents: Trailblazers, celebrates women of Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios

    Mumbai: The inaugural Prime Video presents: Trailblazers took place in London today, an event celebrating the women of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios. Hosted by Amazon MGM Studios head Jennifer Salke and Prime Video International VP Kelly Day, the showcase featured guest appearances from actors Priyanka-Chopra Jonas, Octavia Spencer, Bryce Dallas Howard, directors Charlotte Brändström and Louise Hooper, and producers Amy Pascal, Sue Vertue and Lindsey Weber, at Queen Elizabeth Hall at London’s South Bank Centre.

    Creative talent from both in front of and behind the cameras joined Salke and Day at the event, attended by industry guests and Prime Video female executives, including global heads of Amazon MGM Studios and regional Prime Video leaders. Hosted by broadcaster Clara Amfo, the event discussed global franchises, appealing to younger audiences, and the rise of action heroines. Participants included Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Octavia Spencer, the cast and directors of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, and Bryce Dallas Howard. The event previewed international series and films like Citadel: Diana, The Devil’s Hour Season 2, Culpa Tuya, My Fault: London, La Virgen Roja, The Office Australia, and Pimpinero: Blood and Oil.

    During the live showcase, Jennifer Salke commented: “We’ve had a mission to be a destination for women all around the world, and we’re starting to see progress with that” and Kelly Day added “we’ve expanded the storytelling so much for women, and it’s brought so many new customers to the service and ignited a lot of passion for our female viewers.”

    As part of an on-stage fireside chat, Octavia Spencer said, “For me, there weren’t a lot of female executives. So, to see how vastly different the industry is, how many opportunities are made available to us, I think it’s imperative that we come into the industry with as much in our arsenal as we can give.”

    Commenting on the upcoming Australian Original adaption of The Office, Felicity Ward told Clara Amfo: “Ricky Gervais approved a female lead. He was very excited about a female lead” and on the importance of female commissioners, Laura Osma (Pimpinero: Blood and Oil) said “so many stories have been hidden for so long but now we can delve into them”.

    During a fireside conversation with Jennifer Salke, on what the industry is getting right, Priyanka Chopra Jonas said, “I was wanting to get out of the box and here with Amazon is where I got that, it takes huge courage to back local stories”

    “Women are at the core of our business – from our incredible actors, our inventive producers and our executive teams,” said Amazon MGM Studios head Jennifer Salke. “We also know that women around the world love to be moved by incredible storytelling and we look forward to bringing them all a compelling slate featuring some of the most talented women working both in front and behind the camera.”

    “As we look to grow Prime Video internationally, women will be central to driving that success,” added Day. “From the millions of viewers globally, to the women running the Prime Video and Studios teams in Europe, Latin America, Asia-Pacific and the US, to the women starring in and delivering our biggest shows and movies, Prime Video is being shaped by trailblazing women.”

    The following announcements were made at Prime Video presents: Trailblazers:

    . Greenlight: Prime Video announced a spinoff series, The Untitled Neagley Project, starring Maria Sten (Reacher, Swamp Thing). Created by co-showrunners and executive producers Nick Santora (Reacher, Prison Break) and Nicholas Wootton (Law & Order, Prison Break), and produced by Amazon MGM Studios, Skydance Television, and CBS Studios, the series will premiere on Prime Video in over 240 countries. It follows Frances Neagley, a private investigator, seeking justice after a friend’s suspicious death.

    . First-look clip: An exclusive clip from Citadel: Diana, the highly anticipated Italian series from the Citadel universe, was revealed. Starring Matilda De Angelis, the action sequence is set at the Cretto di Gibellina in Sicily. De Angelis performed most of her own stunts, with the series featuring approximately 850 stunts. The show premieres globally on 10 October.

    . First-look images: Images from the new UK Original movie My Fault: London, set to launch in 2025, were unveiled. Based on Mercedes Ron’s bestselling Culpables trilogy and following the success of Culpa Mia, it stars Asha Banks and Matthew Broome.

    . Trailer: The official trailer for Season 2 of The Devil’s Hour was introduced by Jessica Raine. Premiering globally on 18 October, the psychological thriller stars Peter Capaldi, Nikesh Patel, Phil Dunster, and new cast member Saffron Hocking.

    .  Skills: The £10 million Prime Video Pathway programme, launched in 2022, has seen 64 per cent of all places filled by women, including in traditionally male-dominated fields like Sound, Camera, and Lighting at the National Film and Television School Craft Academy.

  • Prime Video celebrates the power of women in storytelling with a powerful video message

    Prime Video celebrates the power of women in storytelling with a powerful video message

    Mumbai: Prime Video, India’s most loved entertainment destination, has unveiled a contemplative video dedicated to the role of women in entertainment. The video features Prime Video’s key global, as well as Indian leadership team who articulate Prime Video’s undeterred commitment to gender equality and the invaluable contributions of women in storytelling and beyond.

    The video features Kelly Day, vice president – International, Prime Video; Gaurav Gandhi, vice president, Asia Pacific & MENA, Sushant Sreeram, country director, Prime Video India and Aparna Purohit, head of Originals – India & Southeast Asia, Prime Video; who come together as a collective voice to convey the service’s gratitude and admiration for the countless contributions and the significant impact made by women through the power of storytelling at Prime Video.

    The engaging video takes the viewers into the world of Prime Video and how it has evolved into a home for female talent, where they can proudly display their diverse skills and capabilities in their respective fields of expertise. Narrated by the voices of its leaders, the video emphasizes the significant contribution of Amazon Originals in presenting a wide array of female-centric narratives. These stories are powerful, inspiring, loud, magical, real, uncomfortable, and unapologetic – mirroring the complexity and diversity of the world we live in. Each story is designed to spark conversation and inspire change, highlighting Prime Video’s commitment to elevating female voices and perspectives.

    Prime Video is known for bringing relatable stories of women and by women to life, and the video shows scenes of some of fan-favourites and acclaimed titles featuring women characters in pivotal roles such as the International Originals like Citadel, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel, Fleabag, The Wheel of Time, as well as Indian Originals such as Dahaad, Made in Heaven, Maja Ma, Hush Hush, Four More Shots Please! Suzhal – the vortex, to name a few. The video ends with an enticing glimpse of two of the highly anticipated titles premiering soon on Prime Video – Amazon Original series Big Girls Don’t Cry, a coming-of-age all-girls high school drama that premieres on 14 March; and Amazon Original movie Ae Watan Mere Watan, an untold story of a young woman revolutionary based during pre-independent India era, starring Sara Ali Khan that premieres on 21st March. The video concludes with a powerful declaration: Prime Video honors women daily through its dedication to storytelling that places women at the forefront. The previewed titles represent only the beginning. Throughout every moment, day, week, and month of 2024, Prime Video promises a line-up of captivating stories that spotlight strong, inspirational, and relatable female characters, showcasing the service’s commitment to celebrating and empowering women through innovative narratives.

  • Kelly Day shares her views on Prime Video’s customer-first strategy globally

    Kelly Day shares her views on Prime Video’s customer-first strategy globally

    Mumbai: In a fireside conversation at APOS Bali (Indonesia) 2023, created and curated by Media Partners Asia (MPA), Prime Video VP international prime video Kelly Day shared her views on Prime Video’s customer-first strategy globally. “As a customer-first organization, delivering great content selection, convenience of accessing the expansive content offerings and customer value, act as the major differentiators for Prime Video globally. Our mission is to become the one-stop entertainment destination, a place where customers can find all of their video entertainment under one roof, be it content produced by us or by other studios, content from our partners such as Paramount+, HBO Max, Starz, BritBox, accessible through Prime Video Channels, or titles to rent or buy via our TVOD Store; or fast channels, linear channels, AVOD channels that we have in many locales. So, we’re really trying to deliver the maximum selection possible.”

    Underscoring the investments Prime Video has made on behalf of customers worldwide, Kelly went on to share that since early 2022, Prime Video has been delivering even more variety and value through Original content, having launched 280 local Original titles across 25 countries. The service is further complementing this by bringing an incredible selection of content to the service through TVOD and Channels, with over 500 channels partners around the world, delivering incredible value to customers.

    On the importance of building local content offerings, Day shared, “We do not want our customers to see Prime Video as one homogenized, global service. For each of our geos, we want customers to consider it as a local experience, but with all the benefits of getting a credible technology platform, with great global Originals and other acquired content. Japan and India are two great examples where we have deeply invested in building an extensive array of local, authentic content that resonates with the customers.”

    Talking about the role of international content as a growth engine, Day elaborated, “Original content is a key pillar of growth. Over the last few years, we have invested in a lot in our big/key tentpoles, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, The Wheel of Time, Reacher, Citadel, and Jack Ryan, and these titles really resonate with our Prime customers globally and we see these working in almost every country around the world. That’s really what brings people into Prime Video, and once we have them engage with the service, then there is so much more that they can explore, whether it is licensed content such as Yellowstone or The Last of Us or Barbie or Super Mario Bros. Movie. And that is what we are really focused on trying to provide at Prime Video – a very personalized and engaging experience so that whenever customers come to the service, they are always going to find something that works for them, that they want to watch.”

    “We see the APAC region offering an incredible subscriber growth opportunity with the high-quality content engine we are developing across Asia. Be it Japanese Originals, Indian movies and series, Korean dramas, and much more, all this is resonating with customers not only in the local markets but across the world. Not just Asia, international content from Spain and Argentina is increasingly becoming popular with customers, including English-speaking markets such as the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia, to name a few. Customers from these locales are truly embracing the authentic, engaging, quality storytelling coming from all over the world.”

    Identifying Japan and India as the key growth drivers in the region and the potential in the Asia Pacific region, Kelly said, “We are relatively new in Southeast Asia and are in different phases of maturity in different countries. Japan is one of our most mature locales, India has been a huge growth driver over the last couple of years, in other markets we are just getting started, but we are incredibly excited by the opportunity here.”

    Day signed off by saying, “We really want to be a singular entertainment destination where customers can find amazing content at an incredible value, great price, in the convenience of really having one place to go. We want to deliver a very personalized experience with an easy to use, single billing application that just makes it easy for customers to navigate everything that’s out there and find something worth watching.”

  • Amazon ropes in Kelly Day to lead international streaming business

    Amazon ropes in Kelly Day to lead international streaming business

    Mumbai: Amazon has appointed Kelly Day in a newly created role as vice president, Prime Video international. She will oversee streaming operations outside the US and report to Prime Video and Amazon Studios senior vice president Mike Hopkins.

    She will begin her new role in January 2022.

    Day was previously at ViacomCBS leading international streaming services and led the global rollout of their premium subscription video-on-demand service Paramount+ in 2021 and the international expansion of their free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) service Pluto TV.

    “Overwhelming day as I announced the end of an amazing chapter at ViacomCBS and the beginning of something new and exciting at Amazon. To my friends and colleagues at VCBS, I am so proud of what we’ve accomplished at Paramount+ and Pluto and forever grateful to have had the opportunity to work with all of you. Looking forward to starting 2022 and joining the incredibly talented team at Amazon Prime Video,” said Kelly on LinkedIn.

    Kelly joined ViacomCBS in 2017 as president of Viacom Digital Studios. She has 25 years of experience in launching digital brands and businesses. She has served on the board of directors of Blue Ant Media and NATPE. She’s also had stints at Discovery Communications and America Online (AOL).

  • Tom Ryan takes charge as ViacomCBS Streaming president & CEO

    Tom Ryan takes charge as ViacomCBS Streaming president & CEO

    MUMBAI: ViacomCBS has restructured its global leadership, with the biggest change-up coming in the form of Pluto TV CEO Tom Ryan being appointed president and CEO of Streaming.

    In his new role, Ryan will overlook CBS All Access, which will relaunch as Paramount+ in early 2021. He will continue to hold on to his remit at Pluto TV while also taking charge of the company’s global streaming strategy.

    Marc DeBevoise will step down from his roles as ViacomCBS’s chief digital officer and president-CEO of ViacomCBS Digital. He will serve in an advisory capacity for the remainder of the year.

    ViacomCBS Networks International (VCNI) COO Kelly Day will take on an expanded role as president of streaming for VCNI, overseeing all non-US digital and streaming platforms.

    The media conglomerate also announced that Pierluigi Gazzolo will step down from his position as president, streaming and studios, at VCNI.

    ViacomCBS president and CEO Bob Bakish said, “ViacomCBS has a unique opportunity to combine the best of our brands in a seamless ecosystem of must-watch, direct-to-consumer services for audiences around the world. As we plan for the launch of Paramount+, bringing together the leaders of our streaming platforms to create a unified global organization will enable us to execute a holistic strategy across both free and pay.”

    As president and CEO of ViacomCBS Streaming, Ryan will lead the company’s effort to further accelerate the growth of its free and paid streaming services. He will now work closely with the team on programming strategy, platform development and marketing.

    “I couldn’t be more excited to work with this talented team and build on their momentum, especially as we approach the launch of Paramount+,” Ryan further added. “Together, we will leverage ViacomCBS’s beloved portfolio of brands, strong content pipeline and an extensive network of partners to deliver must-watch on-demand, live and exclusive original programming to viewers everywhere.”

    The ViacomCBS reshuffling comes after Disney, WarnerMedia, and ZEE have similarly moved to restructure their organizations with the aim of accelerating direct-to-consumer streaming strategies.

  • Viacom names Kelly Day as president of new unit Digital Studios

    Viacom names Kelly Day as president of new unit Digital Studios

    MUMBAI: Viacom has appointed Kelly Day as president of its new vertical Viacom Digital Studios (VDS). Day will report to Viacom president and CEO Bob Bakish, effective from 20 November.

    VDS will focus on creating and expanding digital content across Viacom and its portfolio of global entertainment brands. Day will execute Viacom’s digital content strategy, and leading creative and editorial production for Viacom’s branded social channels. 

    She will work with Vicaom brands to build on its current programming and develop new content in various formats.

    Bakish said, “Kelly has an impressive track record of building successful digital businesses, and I am so pleased to have her on board to accelerate our push into digital-native content. She and our new Viacom Digital Studios group will ensure that we are delivering more, better aligned and digital-first experiences, helping us to further grow the reach of our brands with our diverse audiences and introducing more opportunities for our advertising and distribution partners.”

    Day’s previous stint was with AwesomenessTV where she served as its first-ever chief digital officer before being named chief business officer. 

    Prior to AwesomenessTV, she was the CEO of Blip Networks which is a leading online video platform. When Blip was acquired by Maker Studios, she served in a variety of leadership positions at Discovery Communications, including, most recently, executive vice president and general manager of digital media and commerce.

    Also Read:

    Viacom expands Zaldivar-Clark’s role as Paramount SVP – talent

    Viacom appoints Bob Bakish as acting CEO

    Viacom announces leadership transition at Paramount Pictures, CEO Brad Grey to step down