Prime Video bets big on India to power global growth, doubles down on Originals, IP, and theatrical push

As global streaming platforms recalibrate strategies amid intensifying competition and shifting consumer habits, Amazon’s Prime Video is placing India at the centre of its next phase of growth—betting on a mix of premium Originals, scalable intellectual property (IP), and an expanded movies business to deepen engagement and drive international expansion.

At Prime Video Presents 2026 in Mumbai, the company’s top leadership made it clear that India is no longer just a high-potential market—it is now a critical engine in shaping Prime Video’s global content and business strategy.

How central is India to Prime Video’s global strategy?

“India is by far one of the most important markets for us anywhere in the world,” said Kelly Day, Vice President, Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios International. She pointed to the scale of the audience, depth of engagement, and the diversity of storytelling as key factors driving sustained investment. “It continues to be a core acquisition driver for the Prime programme,” she added.

Over nearly a decade of operations in India, Prime Video has evolved from a subscription-led streaming service into a multi-layered entertainment platform. Its hybrid model—combining subscription video on demand (SVOD), transactional rentals (TVOD), channels, and ad-supported streaming through Amazon MX Player—has allowed it to cater to a wide spectrum of consumers in a price-sensitive and highly fragmented market.

This flexibility, executives said, has been crucial in building scale. India has also emerged as a testing ground for innovation, with tiered pricing models such as mobile-only plans and Prime Lite offerings later finding relevance in other global markets.

But it is content that sits at the heart of the company’s India playbook—and increasingly, its global ambitions.

Can Indian Originals truly travel globally?

Nicole Clemens, who joined Amazon MGM Studios last year to lead International Originals, emphasised the growing cross-border appeal of Indian storytelling. “India is the most diverse country, and that’s reflected in our slate,” she said. “What stands out is that about 25% of the viewership for Indian Originals now comes from outside India.”

This “travelability” of content has become central to Prime Video’s strategy. Flagship series such as The Family Man, Mirzapur, Paatal Lok, and Farzi have not only built strong domestic fandoms but also found audiences across geographies, reinforcing the thesis that culturally rooted narratives with universal themes can resonate globally.

The company is doubling down on this approach, with over 100 shows currently in development and production in India. More than 60% of its Original series have extended into multiple seasons, underlining a clear pivot towards franchise-building and long-term IP creation.

Gaurav Gandhi, Vice President, APAC & ANZ, described the past decade as one of “building the category as much as building Prime Video.” Looking ahead, he said the focus is on expanding access, scaling global distribution of Indian content, strengthening franchises, and significantly ramping up the movies business.

What’s next for Prime Video’s movies and IP strategy?

The push into films marks a notable evolution. Having started with licensing, Prime Video has gradually moved into co-productions and is now stepping into theatrical releases under Amazon MGM Studios. These films will follow a hybrid lifecycle—first hitting cinemas before streaming on the platform—while TVOD rentals continue as an additional monetisation layer.

At the same time, the company is leveraging its global footprint to give Indian content an unprecedented international runway. Films and shows can now launch simultaneously across as many as 240 countries and territories, a scale that traditional theatrical distribution struggles to match.

Industry trends are also working in Prime Video’s favour. Clemens pointed to the rising global acceptance of non-English content, with Spanish, German, Korean, and Japanese titles gaining traction worldwide. “English is no longer the default language of global storytelling,” she said, adding that India is well-positioned to ride this wave.

Within India, the content strategy is expanding both linguistically and thematically. What began largely as a Hindi Originals slate has grown to include Tamil and Telugu productions, with increasing investments in dubbing and subtitling to widen reach. Emerging genres such as young adult (YA), romance, thriller, and supernatural are also gaining prominence, reflecting evolving audience preferences.

The company also hinted at new IP bets, including what it described as India’s first streaming superhero universe, signalling a willingness to experiment with genre and scale.

For Prime Video, the convergence of local storytelling and global distribution appears to be the defining opportunity. As streaming growth in mature markets slows, India offers both volume and velocity—an expanding digital audience, rising appetite for premium content, and the ability to export stories to the world.

“There is tremendous headroom ahead for streaming in India,” Gandhi said. “We’re still in the early days of taking Indian content global in a very intentional way.”

Nearly ten years after its India launch, Prime Video’s strategy reflects a shift from market entry to market leadership—one that hinges on turning India not just into a consumption hub, but into a content powerhouse for the world.