Prime Video heads discuss entertainment hub strategy, India’s significance, and more, at AVIA’s Future of Video India Fireside Chat 

Excerpts from a fireside chat featuring Kelly Day, Head of International & Vice President, Prime Video, and Gaurav Gandhi, Vice President, Asia Pacific & MENA, Prime Video, at AVIA’s Future of Video India conference held as part of WAVES 2025 

In a captivating fireside conversation at AVIA’s Future of Video India conference, part of the inaugural World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES), Kelly Day, Head of International & Vice President, Prime Video, and Gaurav Gandhi, Vice President, Asia Pacific & MENA, Prime Video, discussed Prime Video’s growth strategy, with a particular focus on India.

Kelly Day, Head of International & Vice President, Prime Video, shared a powerful perspective on the evolving viewing experience globally, stating, “We understand that people are selective about what they choose to watch in the theatre, but we think that the opportunity to bring audiences together and have a theatrical experience is still pretty magical. We believe in the theatrical window.” She emphasized that while not every film might take this route, Prime Video, being customer-focussed, remains ambitious about delivering the best possible experiences for customers across both theatrical and streaming windows, underscoring that “We’re going to continue to experiment to make sure that we not only maximize the opportunity around the films, but also make sure that we can deliver them to customers wherever they want to watch them. Our ambition is to produce around 14–15 titles a year for global theatrical distribution.”

This belief in delivering an elevated and versatile content experience seamlessly connects to Prime Video’s broader vision of becoming a truly comprehensive entertainment hub. As Kelly explained, “We think that it is unique. It starts with how we want to be the first place that people think of when they want to watch something. We know that as a streaming service, we can’t necessarily produce everything that hundreds of millions of customers all over the world might be in the mood to watch, and so it starts from this idea of how do we deliver the best possible selection for customers? It’s really about making sure that they can find anything that they want.”

Explaining Prime Video’s entertainment hub proposition in India, Gaurav Gandhi, Vice President, Asia Pacific & MENA, Prime Video said, “Globally, we have hundreds of add-on subscription partners. If you look at Japan, we have 70+ partners and India has 25+ partners already, and we’re building and growing this further.” Regarding Movie Rentals as a category, he mentioned, “We are doing category creation for TVOD in India. We have 7000+ titles on the rental service, and we see around 60% of those rented every month. We see rentals coming from 95% of India’s pin codes.”

On being asked where Prime Video is positioned in the APAC region and in India, Kelly Day said, “Prime Video is one of the more unique global streaming services. We operate in a little over 200 countries and territories around the world, with just over 200 million Prime customers globally. Our business is relatively unique in the countries where we have Prime, currently around 25 countries, where Prime Video is part of a bundle, which includes shipping benefits, video, as well as music, games, and other services. Outside of those Prime countries, Prime Video operates as a standalone streaming service.”

Gaurav Gandhi, Vice President, Asia Pacific & MENA, Prime Video, further expanded on this strategy with specific reference to India, he said “India is a super important locale for Prime Video. It continues to be a big growth engine for both, getting new customers to Prime and for engaging with Prime members. India is also a big content hub for us. Today, Prime Video India has one of the largest slates of original content outside of the U.S. This content is not just resonating with customers here, but outside India as well, as about 25% of our viewing actually comes from outside the country. Additionally, India is a big innovation hub for us for products. For example, it was one of the first locales where we launched a mobile edition plan. It is also the only locale where we actually have multiple flavours of Prime – Prime, Prime Lite, and so on. So, we can look at segmenting our customers basis what their needs are, and then we program for that. And then we take these innovations to other locations. We also have an interesting playbook of how we look at India, because we program here in 10 languages. As a streaming service you want to segment your offerings and you want to offer customer the language of their choice, but you also want customers to experiment with other languages. That playbook is so unique for India that we are learning from India and following it wherever we have multiple languages.”

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Latest titles from CJ ENM, starting with Head Over Heels in June 2025 will be available to viewers in 240+ countries and territories through Prime Video with subtitles in 28 languages and dubbing in 11 languages 

Announced at the World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES) in India, the collaboration provides a global showcase to local stories from Asia furthering Prime Video’s commitment to throwing light on unique stories from the continent 

MUMBAI, India—May 3, 2025—Prime Video and leading entertainment company, CJ ENM, today announced a strategic collaboration, securing multi-year worldwide distribution rights (excluding Korea and China) for high quality Korean content. The announcement was made at the World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES) in Mumbai, India, and underscores Prime Video’s commitment to making entertainment borderless by providing a global platform to Asian content.

Throughout 2025 and 2026, Prime Video will launch multiple new exclusive titles from CJ ENM, Studio Dragon and CJ ENM STUDIOS, starting with highly anticipated fantasy romance drama series, Head Over Heels, coming in late June. Additionally, Prime Video will also add popular titles from CJ ENM’s rich and successful catalogue to its service including fan favourite rom-com drama Her Private Life, Another Miss Oh and famous detective series, Mouse, significantly expanding its Korean content offering for global audiences in 240+ countries and territories worldwide. As part of this global strategy, Prime Video will also offer subtitles in 28 languages and dubbing in 11 languages for all new Korean launches, enhancing accessibility for the service’s rapidly growing Korean content audience around the world.

“This strategic collaboration with CJ ENM reinforces Prime Video’s commitment to bringing the best of Korean entertainment to our customers worldwide,” said Kelly Day, head of International & VP, Prime Video. “Korean content continues to resonate deeply with global audiences. We’ve witnessed the borderless appeal of Korean storytelling with the phenomenal success of shows like Marry My Husband, No Gain, No Love which not just captured hearts across continents, but also found their place in the Top 10 most-watched non-English language International Originals from 2024, posting super strong viewership outside their country of origin. We are now thrilled to offer new and exclusive titles, alongside a catalogue of consumer favourites exclusively to Prime Video’s global consumer base, in a language of their preference.”

“At Prime Video, our ambition is to be the first-choice entertainment hub for consumers. From the best of global content, to popular stories from Asia, we want to be a destination where consumers can effortlessly discover their next favourite story. As Korean content continues to find massive audiences worldwide, we’re thrilled to bring these captivating narratives exclusively to our worldwide audiences,” said Gaurav Gandhi, vice president, APAC & MENA, Prime Video. “Our strategic collaboration with CJ ENM marks a new chapter in this journey, giving Prime members front-row access to some of the most compelling and innovative content from Korea.”

“We’re thrilled about this partnership with Prime Video, which allows us to bring our unique Korean stories to an even broader global audience,” said Jangho Seo, Executive Vice President of CJ ENM’s content business division. “Korean entertainment has been winning hearts around the world with its compelling narratives, relatable characters, and outstanding production quality. We’ve already seen tremendous success with titles like Marry My Husband and No Gain, No Love, which achieved remarkable viewership milestones on Prime Video and reaffirmed the universal appeal of our storytelling. Through Prime Video’s extensive global reach and strong commitment to multi-language subtitles and dubbing strategies, we are excited to make our upcoming titles even more accessible and enjoyable for audiences across cultures and languages. This collaboration not only strengthens CJ ENM’s global footprint but also reflects our shared vision with Prime Video to deliver captivating stories to fans worldwide. We look forward to building on this momentum and deepening our connection with viewers everywhere.”

This strategic collaboration represents the latest investment in Prime Video’s growing slate of Korean content, which continues to attract viewers worldwide. Prime members will be able to watch these titles as part of their Prime membership, available at no additional cost.

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The World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2025 has received an overwhelming response for its “Reel Making” challenge, with 3,379 registrations from across India and 20 countries. This enthusiastic participation underscores India’s growing influence as a global media and entertainment hub and highlights the rise of the country’s digital creator economy.

Launched as a key initiative of WAVES 2025, the challenge aligns with the Government of India’s “Create in India” vision, empowering talent across the nation and beyond. Notable international participation has come from Afghanistan, Albania, the United States, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, UAE, Australia, and Germany, among others. This global reach reflects India’s expanding creative footprint and WAVES’ growing status as a premier platform for content creators worldwide.

Domestically, entries have poured in from remote and diverse locations across India, including Tawang (Arunachal Pradesh), Dimapur (Nagaland), Kargil (Ladakh), Leh, Shopian (Kashmir), Port Blair (Andaman & Nicobar Islands), Teliamora (Tripura), Kasaragod (Kerala), and Gangtok (Sikkim). The strong response from smaller towns and emerging creative hubs showcases India’s rich storytelling traditions and the rapid evolution of its digital content ecosystem.

Participants above the age of 20 are required to create 30-60 second reels on themes such as “Viksit Bharat”, highlighting India’s technological and infrastructure advancements, and “India @ 2047”, envisioning the nation’s future growth. These themes offer creators a platform to capture India’s innovation journey through compelling visual storytelling.

The winners of the Reel Making challenge will receive exclusive opportunities, including:

• An invitation to a Meta-hosted event and a reels masterclass in 2025.
• All-expenses-paid access to WAVES 2025, where they will be honored.
• Ministry support for finalists to participate in international content creator competitions.
• Winner reels will be showcased in the prestigious WAVES Hall of Fame, on the official WAVES website, and across social media platforms.

WAVES 2025 will bring together industry leaders, stakeholders, and innovators to explore emerging trends, foster collaborations, and showcase India’s thriving creative ecosystem. With participation spanning the entire length and breadth of India and 20 other countries, the Reel Making challenge is a testament to India’s diverse storytelling talent, reinforcing its position as a powerhouse in the global media and entertainment industry.

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