“India is one of Prime Video’s most strategic markets”, say global executives
Prime Video used its ‘Prime Video Presents 2026’ showcase in India to outline its international and local content strategy, with senior executives highlighting the country’s role in the platform’s global growth during a fireside chat moderated by filmmaker Karan Johar.
Read about the ‘Prime Video Presents 2026’ slate – Prime Video India announces 55 new Originals, including ‘Farzi 2’ & ‘Panchayat 5’.
The discussion featured Kelly Day, Vice President of Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios International; Nicole Clemens, Vice President of International Originals, Amazon MGM Studios; and Gaurav Gandhi, Vice President, APAC & ANZ, Prime Video. The conversation focused on India’s Originals slate, global travelability of Indian content, and Prime Video’s evolving business and distribution model.
Opening the session, Johar welcomed Kelly Day back to India, noting her frequent visits. “I love coming to India. This is my fourth trip in four years and my third Prime Video Presents, and it just gets bigger and better every year,” Day said.
Johar also welcomed Nicole Clemens on her first visit to India since taking over leadership of Amazon MGM Studios’ international Originals portfolio last year. Asked about her impressions of the Indian slate, Clemens said, “I absolutely love our slate. I think that India is the most diverse country, and it’s reflected in our slate. And the (audience) base here is probably the biggest.”
She pointed to the global performance of Indian Originals, citing titles such as ‘The Family Man’, ‘Mirzapur’, ‘Paatal Lok’ and ‘Farzi’. “The strength of our franchises is in travelability. Indian content is core to our international success,” Clemens said, adding that 25% of viewership for Indian shows comes from outside the country.
Clemens said Prime Video has more than 100 shows in production and development globally, with over 60% of Original series extending into multiple seasons. She also highlighted India’s entry into the streaming superhero space with ‘Vansh – The Kalyug Warriors’. “I’m really excited to work with our creators from India and build our slate and take stories from India to the world,” she said.
Johar then turned to Day to discuss India’s importance within Prime Video’s global operations. Day described India as one of the company’s most strategic markets. “India is by far one of the most important markets for us anywhere around the world,” she said, pointing to the scale of the audience and engagement levels driven by Indian Originals.
She said India hosts one of Prime Video’s largest Originals programmes globally, marked by language and cultural diversity. “It continues to be just a driving engine in building and growing Prime here in India,” Day said, adding that sustained investment reflects the company’s long-term belief in the market.
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Day also outlined what she described as Prime Video’s differentiated business model in India, spanning subscription video-on-demand, add-on channels, transactional rentals, and ad-supported streaming through Amazon MX Player. She noted that tiered pricing and flexible membership options, such as Prime Video Mobile Edition and Prime Lite, were pioneered in India and later adopted in other markets.
Gandhi, marking nearly a decade of Prime Video’s presence in India, said the platform’s journey has involved building both the streaming category and long-term creator partnerships. “Our journey for the past 9–10 years has been as much about building the category as much as building Prime Video,” he said.
Outlining priorities for the next phase, Gandhi cited accessibility, global distribution of Indian content, franchise building, and expansion of the movies business. He noted that around 25% of Prime Video India’s viewership now comes from international markets and said the company is increasingly focused on day-and-date global releases.
Gandhi also highlighted the platform’s success in building long-running franchises such as ‘The Family Man’, ‘Panchayat’, ‘Mirzapur’, ‘Farzi’ and ‘Paatal Lok’, alongside newer titles like ‘Call Me Bae’, ‘Dupahiya’, ‘The Traitors’ and ‘Gram Chikitsalay’. He referenced recent Originals including ‘Daldal’ and the film ‘Subedaar’ as part of the platform’s continued IP expansion.
On the film side, Gandhi said Prime Video has evolved from licensing titles to co-productions and is now backing theatrical releases from Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, which will stream on the service post-release.
Returning to international Originals, Clemens said her focus remains on culturally specific stories rooted in universal emotions. She pointed to global successes such as the Spanish-language ‘Culpables’ films and German series ‘Maxton Hall’ as evidence that non-English storytelling can resonate worldwide.
For India, Clemens said the emphasis remains on premium quality with broad appeal, as well as emerging genres such as young adult storytelling. She referenced titles including ‘Call Me Bae’ and the upcoming film ‘Don’t Be Shy’ as examples of expanding into under-served audiences.
“Our slate really reflects our ambition,” Clemens said, adding that Prime Video continues to track audience response closely while seeking new authentic voices with global potential.
