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.”
