Amazon Prime Video Channels launches in India with 8 OTT channel partners

Amazon Prime Video Channels launches in India from today (September 24, 2021). Prime Video Channels offers friction-free and convenient access to a wide range of premium content from multiple video streaming services all available at a single destination – Amazon Prime Video website and apps. At launch, Prime Video Channels kickstarts with 8 premium content providers – Discovery+, Lionsgate Play, Eros Now, Docubay, MUBI, Hoichoi, Manorama Max, and Shorts TV – available with add-on subscriptions to Prime members in India. At launch, Prime members can enjoy a special introductory annual subscription offer made available by the OTT channel partners.

Prime Video Channels, acting as an intermediary, will allow Prime members the option for add-on subscriptions of popular OTT services and stream their content on the Amazon Prime Video app and website in India.

SCREENXX Awards 2021 - Digital Video Content and OTT Platform, Last Date for nomination extended - Thursday, September 23, 2021 - ENTRIES OPEN

“At Amazon, we have always focused on improving access, experience and selection for our customers,” said Gaurav Gandhi, Country Manager, Amazon Prime Video, India. “Over the last 4 years, we have continuously strived to entertain and delight our customers by programming in 10 languages, making available Exclusive and Original content from India and around the world and by ensuring a world class streaming experience across screens. All of this has made Amazon Prime Video the most loved premium streaming service with viewership from 99% of India’s pin-codes. 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.”

Prime Video Channels benefits for Prime members include:

• No hassle login & billing: Customers will no longer have to juggle between multiple usernames, passwords and billing due dates. With Prime Video Channels, all premium content subscriptions are managed within a single destination – Prime Video apps and website.
• More time watching, less time deciding: Customers won’t have to spend time toggling between their favorite services to discover what’s new and popular. With Prime Video Channels they can browse in one place, search across all their premium subscription and get personalized recommendations. All of this without ever having to leave the Prime Video app or website.
• Enjoy your favorite features, no matter which service: Customers can enjoy IMDb’s X-Ray feature and a single consolidated watch list and download library for offline viewing. Subscribers can also manage data consumption and much more across all their premium channel subscriptions.
• More Choice: With the launch of Prime Video Channels, close to 10,000 additional titles across 8 OTT services become available to Prime members
• Introductory Pricing:At launch, Prime members can enjoy special introductory annual subscription offers made available by the OTT channel partners.

“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 Chaitanya Divan, Head Prime Video Channels, Amazon Prime Video. “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 subscribe to Prime Video Channels offering programming in local Indian languages such as Bengali with hoichoi and Malayalam with Manorama Max, and a selection of award-winning documentaries and short films from Docubay and Shorts TV respectively. Consumers can enjoy blockbuster and quality cinema from Lionsgate, MUBI and Eros Now, across languages and genre, while discovery+ adds an array of Wildlife, Adventure, Science, Food, Lifestyle content. The new channels and their popular titles like The Father, Byomkesh, Star vs Food, Haathi Mere Saathi will now be available alongside customer favorite Amazon Originals like Shershaah, Mirzapur, Paatal Lok, The Family Man and The Tomorrow War, so there’s no need to toggle from app to app.

Prime Video Channels subscriptions and annual pricing for India:

• Discovery+: Rs 299/year - Owned by Discovery Inc, the service focuses on factual programming drawn from the libraries of Discovery’s main channel brands, as well as original series, and other acquired content such as Star vs Food and Secrets of Sinauli. Discovery+ is offering a 25% discount for Prime members at launch

• Docubay: Rs 499/year - Specializing as a factual entertainment video service, DocuBay features documentaries from all corners of the globe in a variety of categories. Popular titles include Himalayan Gold Rush, WHO is in control, Eye To Eye with Everest, The Creepy Line and more.At launch, DocuBay is offering a 50% special discount on its original pricing of Rs 999 for Prime members on annual subscriptions.

• Eros Now: Rs 299/- The leading OTT service is home to one of the largest movie libraries with over 12,000 titles, and premium original episodic series, music videos, and more. Eros Now offers content in 13 languages. Subscribers can catch popular movies like Shubh Mangal Savdhan, Haathi Mere Saathi, Tanu Weds Manu Returns, English Vinglish amongst others and Originals like Flesh, Metro Park Season 1&2, Halahaland many more. At launch, Prime Members can avail an introductory 25% off on annual subscriptions offered by Eros Now.

• Hoichoi: Rs. 599/ year –A popular on-demand video streaming platform showcasing content in Bengali language including popular series such as Hello, Byomkesh, Tansener Tanpura, Eken Babu and more, along with a vast library of movies including World Premieres, Classics and Blockbusters. Prime Members can avail 33% discount on hoichoi annual subscription for multiple streams and devices.

• Lionsgate Play: Rs 699/year –The service boasts of thousands of hours of Premium Hollywood content including award winning Premieres, billion-dollar Franchise Movies, binge worthy Box Sets and popular titles like John Wick: Chapter 3, Parabellum&Knives Out.

• Manorama Max: Rs. 699/ year – OTT platform from the house of MM TV Ltd, the television network from Malayala Manorama Group, is the first Malayalam OTT that showcases Entertainment and News content. ManoramaMax offers a variety of programs ranging from entertainment content that come on Mazhavil Manorama, originals to news and infotainment content broadcast by the Manorama News channel, bringing a catalogue of over 300 Malayalam movies with names like VijayumSuperumPournamiyum, Luca, Om Shanti Oshaana, Guppy Prime Members can avail introductory 30% discount at launch.

• MUBI: Rs 1999/year - Focuses on classic and arthouse cinema, they produce and distribute films.Current and upcoming highlights include: Pablo Larraín’sEma, Rupert Goold's Judy starring Renée Zellweger, Harmony Korine's The Beach Bum, Satyajit Ray's Charulata, Anurag Kashyap’s Ugly and MUBI’s co-production Farewell Amor from EkwaMsangi. MUBI is offering an introductory discount to Prime members at launch.

• Shorts TV: Rs 299/year -: World’s first and only 24x7 linear and OTT channel brings the best Short films from across the globe including Academy Award nominated shorts. ShortsTV features critically acclaimed stars such as Kajol, Rajkumar Rao, Benedict Cumberbatch, Olivia Colman and others. Streams popular titles like Oscar Winner Skin, Dark Brew, National award-winning Short Film Custody. Prime members can sign-up to ShortsTV at a 40% discount, an introductory offer at launch.

Titles from Prime Video Channels will join the thousands of TV shows and movies from Hollywood and Bollywood in the Prime Video catalog. These include Indian-produced Amazon Original series Mirzapur Season 1 & 2, ComicstaanSemma Comedy Pa,Breathe: Into The Shadows, Bandish Bandits, Paatal Lok, The Forgotten Army – Azaadi Ke Liye, Sons of the Soil: Jaipur Pink Panthers, Four More Shots Please, The Family Man, Made In Heaven, and Inside Edge, Indian films such as Hello Charlie, Coolie No. 1, Gulabo Sitabo, Durgamati, Chhalaang, Shakuntala Devi, Ponmagal Vandhal, French Biriyani, Law, Sufiyum Sujatayum, Penguin, Nishabdham, Drishyam2, Joji, Maara, V, CU Soon, Soorarai Pottru, Bheema Sena Nala Maharaja, Halal Love Story, Middle Class Melodies, Putham PudhuKaalai, Unpaused among others and the award-winning and critically acclaimed global Amazon Originals like Coming 2 America,  Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, The Boys, Hunters, Fleabag, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. All channels will be available with add-on annual subscriptions.

Prime members will be able to watch subscribed Prime Video Channels anywhere and anytime on the Prime Video app for smart TVs, mobile devices, Fire TV, Fire TV stick, Fire tablets, Apple TV, etc. In the Prime Video app, Prime members can download episodes on their mobile devices and tablets and watch anywhere offline at no additional cost. Prime Video is available in India at no extra cost with Prime membership for Rs 999 annually.