The real value of the deal is in the potential of turning MGM's vast catalog into an IP that will spawn fresh content for Prime Video.
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Amazon launches mobile-only Prime Video for just over a dollar in India
Netflix launched a mobile-only subscription for its Indian user base back in 2019, and later revealed that its gamble actually reaped encouraging results. Now, Amazon is following in the footsteps of Netflix by launching mobile-only subscription plans for its Prime Video service in India. The e-commerce giant is calling it the Prime Video Mobile Edition plan, and has launched it in partnership with Indian telecom giant Airtel.
28 days of Prime Video on mobile for just over a dollar
Prime Video Mobile Edition is a single-user mobile-only plan that is tied to the mobile number of subscribers and will limit the content streaming output to SD (Standard Definition) quality. In partnership with Airtel, Amazon is also offering a 30-day free trial for all users with a pre-paid plan who sign up for the service via the Airtel Thanks app. Once the trial period expires, Airtel will offer Prime Video access for an introductory price of Rs. 89 (~ $1.22) for a period of 28 days, with 6GB of high-speed data thrown into the mix as well.
Airtel will also offer Prime Video Mobile Edition with its Rs. 299 (~ $4.09) plan that provides 1.5GB of data per day and comes with a validity of 28 days. There is also a Rs. 349 (~ $4.77) prepaid plan on the table that offers full Amazon Prime benefits (multi-user access, streaming across devices including Smart TV in HD/UHD quality on Prime video, Prime Music, free fast delivery, Prime Reading, etc.) and 2 gigs of data per day with a validity of 28-days.
Announcing the worldwide-first launch of Prime Video Mobile Edition in India!
— amazon prime video IN (@PrimeVideoIN) January 13, 2021
Mobile-only access to all Amazon Originals, movies and shows. Mobile Edition (ME) will be available starting today for @airtelindia prepaid customers! This is Prime Video built for ME. #PrimeVideoME pic.twitter.com/fKjv46IyZL
| “India is one of our fastest growing territories in the world with very high engagement rates. Buoyed by this response, we want to double-down by offering our much-loved entertainment content to an even larger base of Indian customers. Given high mobile broadband penetration in the country, the mobile phone has become one of the most widely used streaming devices. With the launch of Prime Video Mobile Edition we look forward to entertaining every Indian with our Exclusive and Original content.” – Jay Marine, Vice President, Amazon Prime Video Worldwide |
Amazon is emulating Netflix to conquer mobile streaming in India
The new Prime Video mobile-only plans will directly take on Netflix, which has also taken a similar approach to lure the Indian masses towards its service. With data prices in India being among the cheapest in the world, access to the internet – especially streaming services – has skyrocketed among Indian smartphone users in the past few years. Both the streaming giants have lately doubled down on local content targeted at the Indian masses, and the mobile-only plans will surely act as a major driver when it comes to subscriber growth.
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Amazon Prime Video finally introduces viewer profiles for users across the globe
Amazon is finally making viewer profiles available to Prime Video users across the globe, after initially testing it in India and a handful of other markets. Just like you would do on Netflix, Amazon’s Prime Video will now allow you to create up to six viewer profiles per account, which also includes a separate ‘Kids’ profile option as well.
Each viewer profile will have different recommendations based on preferences of the person using it, and will separately save their watching progress and watchlist depending on user activity. Out of the six profiles, one will be a default primary profile, while the rest five can be adult or kids profiles that have access to your account.
The Kids profile will only be populated by age-appropriate content, and the search results and recommendations will also be tailored accordingly. As for the regular viewer profiles, they will provide access to the entire Prime Video library, content rented or purchased, live content, and more. Viewer profiles can be created on the web, Prime Video’s Android, iOS apps, and Fire TV apps, and Fire HD tablets among other platforms.
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Amazon Prime Video finally gets a shared viewing feature called Watch Party
Amazon has today launched a new feature called Watch Party, which as the name suggests, will let users remotely watch a movie or TV show together with other people at the same time with a synchronized playback. The Watch Party feature will let up to a 100 people join a viewing party remotely (via TechCrunch).
As of now, Watch Party is only available in the US and is applicable for the entire Prime Video catalog of movies and TV shows, except those that are available for rent or purchase. The host will have playback control, and there is also a chat feature where all the participants can communicate via text messages and emojis.
It must be noted that all participants must also have a Prime subscription to enjoy a co-viewing experience. Also, it is quite private, as only those who’ve received a Watch Party link from the admin can join in. Prime Video’s new Watch Party feature is only available for desktop as of now, and there is no word if – or when – it will arrive on the mobile platform.
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Pocketnow Daily: Nintendo Switch Lite: Everything You Should Know! (video)
On today's Pocketnow Daily, we talk about the new Nintendo Switch Lite, new renders of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and more
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YouTube apps on Fire TV, Prime Video on Chromecast and Android TV
Google and Amazon announced that YouTube is returning to the Fire TV, while Prime Video will add Chromecast and Android TV compatibility.
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Executive talks about second Amazon phone, gets backtracked severely
It's only fair to share...
Another Fire Phone? Not really, Amazon says. But the executive leading original content production at the company might have let something wrong loose.
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It's only fair to share...
Yearly Amazon Prime fee will soon increase to $119, still a better deal than monthly prices
It's only fair to share...
After a recent monthly price hike from $10.99 to $12.99, Amazon Prime subscriptions will soon get a little steeper for annual account holders as well.
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It's only fair to share...
Monthly Amazon Prime fee jumps to $12.99, annual subscription stays at $99
Amazon really wants more Prime members to sign up for annual subscriptions, jacking up already high monthly prices for both standard users and student accounts.
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You can’t play HD Netflix content on the OnePlus 5 or 5T, but a software update is coming
If you want to stream HD Netflix movies and shows on your OnePlus 5 or 5T, you'll have to wait for a future software update.
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Amazon Fire TV Stick Basic Edition spreads the Prime Video and Netflix love to 100+ countries
A new "basic edition" of the very popular (in the US) Amazon Fire TV Stick is now available around the world for a decently low price.
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Hundreds of thousands of Amazon Prime Day deals are coming on July 11, some are already live
The third annual Amazon Prime Day event promises to eclipse its predecessors, expanding to 13 countries, lasting 30 hours and saving you tons of money.
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Amazon Prime Video launches globally with a price Netflix won’t like
The streaming video wars have begun at a global scale as Amazon has finally decided to take its Prime Video service to a level that stands beyond the Prime member exclusivity. In the past, if you wanted to get streamed movies outside the United States, Netflix was one of your only options. Nothing against Netflix, but we all know that competition is always great to drive prices down, and that’s exactly what Amazon is doing.
New users can now access Prime Video from 200 countries, and the special introductory price is of just $3 / €3 a month, which is half what Netflix is charging outside the US. The price tag will remain the same for the first six months, and then costing $6 / €6 after that. This is a stand alone service as well, meaning you’ll be able to access it from primevideo.com or on the designated apps, and not the Amazon website that US users traditionally use. Those of you that are already Amazon Prime customers that already have Prime Video bundled, the later will continue to be your way to access content. Yes, like in the case of Netflix, you can cancel any time.
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Amazon will yank Apple TV and Chromecast due to odd competing grounds
Amazon has spent the last few years competing with everyone in almost everything, and in this process it has succeeded in a few things, and lost terribly in others. The cool thing is that even with Amazon being a competitor, the company didn’t lose focus on serving as many products as you could eat on its online store, which still remains Amazon’s core business. Today we learn that things are about to change, and the ...
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