Amazon to invest $300 million in India to make original Prime Video content, says report
The company is reportedly planning to launch its on-demand streaming service in India later this year.
Following rival Netflix's global expansion earlier this year, Amazon may also have plans to target one of the world's largest entertainment markets.
The e-commerce giant intends to launch its Prime Video service in India this year, according to the Factor Daily, which adds that the company will be investing up to $300 million to make original content.
The report comes a month after Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos announced an additional $3 billion investment in India after seeing a "huge potential" in the world's second most populous nation.
Recent job postings suggest that Amazon India has been quietly working for a while on bringing the on-demand film and TV service in the country. It hired Aparna Purohit, a veteran film producer, as Head of Creative development in January this year. A job description posted on LinkedIn last week seeks a "Head of Business Development" for Amazon Video India. The report adds that the company is currently in talks with local production companies for content.
Amazon Prime Video has made a name for itself with award-winning original shows such as "Transparent" and "The Man in the High Castle", but the service's availability in only a few regions has limited its growth. In contrast, Netflix is available in 190 nations, and the company is also actively investing in region-specific original shows to lock international users into its platform.
Netflix has already begun making moves in India, too. Last month it announced it was partnering with Phantom Films, an Indian film production and distribution company, to make an English and Hindi adaptation of the best-selling gangster thriller novel "Sacred Games" by Indian author Vikram Chandra.
Amazon was contacted for comment but did not respond.