At AVIA’s Future of Video India 2025 conference, the spotlight turned to Prime Video’s ambitious global expansion and India-centric innovation. In a candid fireside conversation, Kelly Day, Head of International & Vice President, Prime Video, and Gaurav Gandhi, Vice President, Asia Pacific & MENA, Prime Video, outlined how the platform is redefining the entertainment landscape across formats, geographies, and consumer preferences.
Theatrical & Streaming: A Dual Commitment
Kelly Day underscored Prime Video’s unwavering belief in the magic of cinema. “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,” she said, reiterating Prime Video’s commitment to theatrical releases. With a plan to release 14–15 titles annually for global theatrical distribution, Day emphasized a hybrid strategy: delivering high-quality experiences across both the big screen and home screens, always keeping the customer at the center.
“We’re going to continue to experiment,” she added, “to maximize the opportunity around films while ensuring they’re accessible wherever our customers prefer to watch.”
The One-Stop Entertainment Hub
Prime Video’s broader goal is to become the first destination viewers 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 might want to watch,” Day explained. “So it starts from this idea of how do we deliver the best possible selection? It’s about enabling choice and discovery.”
This vision has translated into a global aggregation strategy, positioning Prime Video as an entertainment super-app. Gaurav Gandhi elaborated on how this is manifesting in India: “We already have 25+ add-on channel partners in India and are actively expanding. It’s about providing more content, more easily.”
Redefining Monetisation with Rentals and Innovation
One of the more disruptive moves from Prime Video India has been the creation of a TVOD (Transactional Video on Demand) category. With 7000+ titles available for rental, the platform is seeing remarkable engagement, with 60% of titles rented monthly from across 95% of India’s pin codes. “This is true category creation,” Gandhi said, highlighting how the Indian consumer is increasingly open to new ways of consuming premium content.
India has also been a testbed for product innovation. Gandhi pointed out that it was among the first markets globally where Prime Video launched a mobile-only plan, and is currently the only country offering multiple tiers of Prime – including Prime Lite – tailored to diverse audience segments.
India as a Growth & Content Powerhouse
India remains a critical engine of growth for Prime Video. “It continues to be a big driver for customer acquisition and engagement,” Gandhi shared. The platform now hosts one of the largest original content slates outside the U.S., with 25% of its Indian content being watched globally. This not only reflects India’s storytelling power but also Prime Video’s role in exporting Indian culture.
Moreover, India’s multilingual complexity offers a blueprint for global strategy. “We program in 10 languages here,” Gandhi said. “We want customers to access content in their preferred language but also be encouraged to discover content in other languages. This playbook is so unique that we’re applying its learnings in other multi-language markets.”
A Unique Global Proposition
Kelly Day highlighted Prime Video’s differentiated business model. Operating in over 200 countries and territories, the service functions either as part of an Amazon Prime bundle or as a standalone streaming offering, depending on the market. “It’s a unique proposition globally,” she explained, “blending shipping, video, music, games, and more in Prime markets, while focusing on curated entertainment in others.”
Prime Video’s strategy is a clear indicator of where the global entertainment industry is headed — towards a borderless, language-inclusive, format-agnostic ecosystem where customer choice drives innovation. By integrating local insights, global ambitions, and technology-led experimentation, Prime Video is not just reacting to the future — it’s actively shaping it.
