At a time when the future of streaming has become questionable post-COVID, Amazon India has signed a Letter of Engagement (LoE)with India’s Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) in order to boost the creative economy.
The idea is to “help build pathways to promote creative talent in India, create capacity across eminent film and TV institutes, and globally showcase ‘Made in India’ creative content.” As per the new commitment, Amazon-owned IMDB and the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) will work together to discover and list Indian talent by listing their profiles and skills on IMDB’s ranking platform. Internships and scholarships will also be provided at the Film Institute of India and Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute.
Content from NFDC, Doordarshan, and the International Film Festival of India will be showcased on Prime Video and MiniTV, a streaming service of Amazon in India. The LoE will also promote books and journals, and there will be tie-ins with Alexa and Amazon Music.
Ironically, the MIB and Prime Video earlier clashed over the Indian original Taandav, with Amazon execs arrested. Two scenes were ultimately dropped, and director Ali Abbas Zafar rendered an apology following complaints from the ruling BJP. For now, Amazon has decided to work closely with the government.
The LoE will help reduce the period of struggle of talented artistes/ artists passing out of prestigious film institutes in India.
