Amazon launches Prime Video service in India
Amazon has launched its Prime Video service in India on 14th Dec. With this Amazon entered a crowded Indian SVOD (Subscription Video on Demand) market with plenty of competition. Prime Video service is part of Amazon's Prime subscription which was launched in India, in July. The video-streaming app is available on Android and iOS. Existing Amazon Prime subscribers can start using the app immediately.
Available in more than 200 countries
Apart from India Amazon launched its Prime Video service in more than 200 countries and territories across the world. Notably, it is not available in China, a country where Netflix is also not present.
What does the service offer?
Amazon Prime Video service lets the users stream TV shows and movies, both Indian and international. This includes Amazon's award-winning Original series like 'Transparent', 'Mozart in the Jungle', 'Red Oaks', etc. The catalogue also includes popular Bengali, Marathi, Telugu and Tamil films. The service offers its users the option to download videos and watch them offline, a feature recently added on Netflix.
What about the pricing?
Amazon's VOD service is currently available at an introductory price of just Rs.499 per year. The full price is supposed to be Rs.999 per year, though it is unclear when that would come into effect. The present pricing works out to under Rs.50 per month and even at full price it would be under Rs.100 per month.
30 day-free trial plus free one-day delivery
The introductory Amazon Prime Video service offers a free 30-day trial. Additionally, the streaming service also offers free one-day and two-day delivery on eligible products bought on Amazon.in, for an year.
A potential market disruptor?
With a combination of content and pricing, Amazon Prime Video could be a potential market disruptor in VOD services. Its pricing is remarkably cheaper than its competitors. While Netflix's lowest offering charges Rs.500/month, Hotstar charges Rs.199/month. In terms of local content, Amazon partnered with major Bollywood studios like Dharma Productions and T-Series. It is also in race for IPL streaming rights.
