Amazon Prime Video’s first India original ‘Inside Edge’ to go live next month
Amazon Prime Video to launch its first India original series, a sports drama titled Inside Edge, in Mumbai next week
New Delhi: American streaming service, Amazon Prime Video is all set to launch its first India original series in Mumbai next month. A sports drama titled Inside Edge created by director Karan Anshuman and produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani of Excel Media and Entertainment, is expected to go live on Amazon Prime Video next week. The series is based on cricket against the backdrop of bookies and a betting scandal. According to media reports, actor Vivek Oberoi is the lead actor in this series.
Last year, the company had announced 18 original shows for India, making it Amazon Inc.’s first international market with the largest number of original shows outside US, as the American company prepares to change the way Indians consume entertainment content. Amazon Prime Video is run by Seattle-based e-commerce firm Amazon Inc. in India.
“We believe that original content in partnership with top and passionate filmmakers, talent and writers and the availability of latest and exclusive movies and TV shows from top Indian, US and international studios/production houses will result in a larger base of customers," said Nitesh Kripalani, director and country head of Amazon Prime Video India, in an earlier Mint interview.
Amazon’s Roy Price, vice-president of Amazon Studios, said originals (series) were important for the company because it’s a differentiator, in an earlier interview to Mint during his visit to India in April. “It also helps build our brand. And obviously the team globally has led the charge in that way," he said.
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In February, Amazon Studios won three Academy awards for Manchester by the Sea, an American film drama and The Salesman, an Iranian film (currently streaming on Amazon Prime) “That’s testimony to our vision that great original content is not just popular with customers but also works as a differentiator.
Amazon Prime Video’s latest original content partnership was with director Kabir Khan. Based on Subhash Chandra Bose’s Indian National Army, the new series, tentatively titled The Forgotten Army is the 18th Amazon India original show to go on the floors.
After tying up with film-makers and film studios beginning September, Amazon Prime’s video content portfolio is now led by Bollywood movies, a popular content category in India.
Amazon Prime Video is readying programming ranging from sports drama to mythological fiction to comedy, with a big focus on local content.
Globally, both Amazon and its American rival Netflix have invested vast sums to produce and license original content. Amazon spent an estimated $3 billion last year on movies and shows such as Transparent, while Netflix is on course to spend $6 billion in 2016, building on demand for series such as Making a Murderer, Narcos and Daredevil according to a report by The Financial Times in April this year.
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