Gurugram: At the MMA Global India Impact 2025, Karan Bedi, Director and Head of Amazon MX Player, took the stage with a powerful declaration: Streaming has not only arrived — it now commands the media landscape in India.
Bedi quickly delved deep into the future of digital consumption. “Streaming is now the core consumption medium in Indian media,” he said, adding that 83% of Indian internet users engage with streaming — predominantly video — surpassing every other digital activity.
This seismic shift, Bedi emphasized, is not confined to urban centers. Over half of India’s streaming audience now hails from rural areas, highlighting the medium’s unprecedented reach. “Streaming is not just mainstream — it’s mass-market,” he asserted, calling it the most effective channel for brand storytelling.
Bedi underscored that digital video ad spending in India is on the cusp of overtaking television advertising — a moment he described as “very, very big” for the industry. While TV, print, and outdoor media still hold value, it is streaming video that consistently delivers superior ROI across metrics like recall, brand awareness, and uplift.
In particular, professionally produced streaming content — as opposed to user-generated videos — significantly outperforms in long-term brand building. “With immersive, narrative-driven content, streaming enables deeper emotional engagement, driving better business outcomes,” Bedi said.
At the heart of Amazon MX Player’s strategy is a “magic formula”: combining high-quality, premium content with a free, ad-supported experience. With over 1.5 billion app downloads and 250 million monthly active users — over half of whom fall into the SCCA demographic — Amazon MX Player is positioned as one of India’s largest digital platforms.
Content from MX is also seamlessly integrated across Amazon’s ecosystem, including Fire TV, Prime Video, and the Amazon Shopping app, giving brands access to India’s most engaged digital households.
“India loves drama,” Bedi said, presenting a content portfolio that spans romance, comedy, reality, and documentaries — genres that have flourished thanks to the creative freedom OTT platforms provide. Hit series like Ashram, one of the most-watched OTT shows in the country, exemplify MX’s mass appeal.
Upcoming projects like Made in India, a biographical anthology series on Indian entrepreneurs, and large-scale reality shows such as Rise and Fall further cement MX’s commitment to original, culturally resonant storytelling. The platform is also doubling down on “Videsi” content — international dramas dubbed in Indian languages — as well as a new micro-drama format called Phata Phat, featuring one-minute episodes tailored for mobile viewers.
What distinguishes Amazon MX Player’s programming, Bedi emphasized, is its foundation in customer insight. “We build shows around themes that matter to people, which is why they’re deeply immersed — and that makes advertising more effective,” he explained.
MX’s ad strategy leans heavily into Amazon’s data capabilities. With access to trillions of shopping signals, Amazon MX constructs hyper-relevant consumer personas — such as “beauty enthusiasts” or “tech-savvy phone users” — allowing marketers to target high-intent audiences with precision.
This audience-first approach, combined with immersive ad formats, creates a uniquely engaging experience. Bedi highlighted ad innovations where products are shown below video content in real time, allowing users to browse product details while watching. “It’s not just advertising — it’s product storytelling,” he noted.
Additionally, branded content integrations — particularly in reality programming — allow for organic product placement, deepening consumer connection. For example, the dance competition Hip Hop India features brands integrated directly into its narrative arcs.
What sets Amazon apart, Bedi argued, is the ability to deliver a full-funnel marketing journey: from awareness on MX, to consideration via Amazon’s DSP, to conversion on the Amazon marketplace. “No one else in the market can offer this level of end-to-end attribution and performance,” he claimed.
In closing, Bedi reinforced Amazon MX’s ambition to lead India’s streaming revolution with a simple yet powerful message: “It’s still day one.”
