Amazon CEO Questions Studio About Big Spending

It was supposed to be the next big thing, it was supposed to make Netflix and other streaming giants break a sweat. And they are doing so in certain parts of the world but from a global standpoint, Prime Video is unable to capture the market.

For the past nine months, they even released half a dozen big-money series which failed miserably in the domestic market and this raises concern for the platform.

Andy Jassy is the new man for the job and he is now looking at the budgets for the company’s Hollywood studio. Recently, he asked for detailed budget analyses of some of their biggest shows.

Last year, Amazon spent $7 Billion on original shows. This is a 40% hike from the past year and takes them to third place in terms of expenditure.

There were shows like Daisy Jones & the Six, The Power, Dead Ringers, and The Peripheral which cost more than $100 Million in making but failed to leave a mark on the audience.

People’s expectations also skyrocketed as The Rings Of Power started streaming but the show failed miserably when it comes to holding the viewers. With a budget of $400 Million, the show didn’t reflect the spending in the numbers.

Citadel also had massive hype but fell flat despite the massive budget.

So now Jassy is taking the charge regarding the expenditure of the studios. He also had multiple discussions with more than a dozen people to get insights.

With better management or a different creative direction, Prime Video might try to manage its budget and revamp its image in the upcoming period. Though on paper, Prime Video produces the second most original hits, the gap between them and the streaming giant Netflix is not a matter that can be celebrated.