STREAMING SYNERGIES
The recent acquisition of MX Player assets by Amazon India has led to the fusion of it with Amazon’s AVOD platform, Amazon miniTV, giving birth to a new free streaming service known as Amazon MX Player. With over 250 million unique users in India, the amalgamated platform is already making waves in the streaming industry, as per statements from Amazon.
Amazon MX Player provides a diverse range of original shows like “Aashram,” “Dharavi Bank” and “Campus Diaries,” along with Korean, Mandarin and Turkish shows that are dubbed in various local languages. The facility can be accessed via mobile applications, Amazon’s shopping app, Prime Video, Fire TV, and other connected televisions.
Established initially as a cross-platform media player by J2 Interactive, South Korea, MX Player was acquired by Times Internet, an integral part of India’s massive Times conglomerate, in June 2018. It was bought for $140 million, and rebranded as a video streaming platform. Former Eros Now COO, Karan Bedi, was appointed as the CEO. However, the current deal with Amazon is said to have been negotiated at a substantially lower cost, as per reliable sources at Variety.
VIP+
Amazon’s Advertising Head in India, Girish Prabhu, has expressed that the amalgamation of MX Player’s extensive reach with Amazon’s advanced advertising technology would equip brands with the utility to “reach and deliver relevant advertising to a very large and engaged base across India.”
Trending on Variety
Expressing his vision for the new platform, the current Head, Karan Bedi stated that the recent merger would empower them in providing “high-quality entertainment and streaming experiences faster than we could have done independently while continuing to keep the service free.”
***
In another development, Everyone TV, the force behind UK’s free streaming platform called Freely, has executed a deal with Amazon Fire TV. This pact would translate into the integration of Freely into Amazon Fire TV smart TVs, and other Fire TV OS-powered TVs beginning this fall. Launched in April 2024, Freely hosts free live and on-demand content from channels like BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5 without necessitating a dish or aerial. The platform would be accessible on Amazon’s Fire TV 2-Series and 4-Series, in addition to TCL and Panasonic models equipped with the Fire TV OS.
The recent move is expected to enhance Freely’s reach, which already encompasses Hisense, Bush, Toshiba, and Panasonic TVs that are equipped with TiVo OS. Additional smart TV and OS providers are anticipated to join the roster in the near future.
Credit: variety.com
