MAM
Amazon to hire 8,000 direct workforce in India this year
Mumbai: Amazon has announced its plans to hire more than 8,000 direct workforce across 35 cities in India this year, across corporate, technology, customer service and operations roles.
The global e-commerce giant has embarked on a hiring spree recently and this latest announcement comes on the back of its plans to hire 55,000 people worldwide, announced earlier.
“We have more than 8,000 direct job openings across 35 cities in the country, including cities like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Kolkata, Noida, Amritsar, Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Coimbatore, Jaipur, Kanpur, Ludhiana, Pune, Surat. These job opportunities are spread across corporate, technology, customer service, and operations roles,” Amazon HR leader – corporate, APAC, and MENA Deepti Varma told PTI.
Varma added that the company is also hiring for machine learning applied sciences and roles in support functions like HR, finance, legal, among others.
She said the e-tailer aims for 20 lakh job openings, both direct and indirect, by 2025, and has already created 10 lakh direct and indirect jobs in India. “Even during the pandemic, Amazon gave jobs to three lakh people, both direct and indirect, and made the entire hiring process virtual,” she stated.
Meanwhile, as Amazon is growing in India and has plans to hire in big numbers, the company plans to showcase itself as an exciting place to work through its first-ever Career Day in India on 16 September.
This virtual and interactive event will bring together Amazon leadership and employees to share what makes the company an exciting workplace, what it is like to work here and how the company is steadfast in its commitment to help India unleash its true potential in the 21st century, Varma said.
Besides, she said, the multiple global and India-focused sessions in the event, 140 Amazon recruiters will conduct 2,000 free, one-on-one career coaching sessions with job seekers across the country.
The recruiters will offer advice on how to approach the job search process effectively, resume-building skills, and interview tips that will help candidates in their search for the right jobs, she said.
Currently, Amazon employs over one lakh professionals across diverse areas like engineering, applied sciences, business management, supply chain, operations, finance, HR to analytics, content creation and acquisition, marketing, real estate, corporate security, video, music and many more, Varma said.
India is the second-largest technology hub for Amazon with Indian talent innovating for not just India, but also globally, noted Varma, while adding, “We are just getting started, and we are seeking passionate builders out there to join us in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to digitally transform India.
“This Career Day, we look forward to sharing our long-term commitment to tapping into India’s potential in the 21st century, and career opportunities to empower and enable this legacy,” said Amazon India, global senior vice president and country head, Amit Agarwal in a statement.
MAM
Microdrama Specialist COL Group International Builds Out With Narativ, Rock Networks & BlingWood Deals
MUMBAI: Microdrama powerhouse COL Group International is building out its distribution network, with its CEO saying vertical video is about to enter its “next competitive chapter.”
The microdrama arm of publicly-listed Chinese company COL Group appointed Narativ Media as its official distributor in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and CIS regions and Africa, and a struck new content deal with a new Dubai-based microdrama platform.
The deals were unveiled this morning at MIP London, and also included Rock Networks as its exclusive Southeast Asia telco distribution partner for its app, FlareFlow. MIP London is now into its second day at the Savoy Hotel and adjoining IET London complex.
The deals come soon after COL appointed Harbour Rights to represent its titles in Europe and Latin America, as we reported yesterday in our extended feature on microdrama distribution.
COL’s Singapore-based microdrama unit says its “coordinated global distribution architecture and significantly expanded international content slate” would help to scale its catalogue to more than 1,700 microdrama titles worldwide. These hail from South Korea, Japan, Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and the UK and roll out across Sereal+, FlareFlow and 17K.
A deal with Dubai-based BlingWood, which recently launched as an OTT platform, will expand COL’s access to Middle Eastern and Indian microdramas, and includes a broader pipeline of Indian series from storytelling platform Pratilipi, Korean titles from BeLive Studios and British reality-led formats from Tattle TV — the UK’s first dedicated microdrama app, including titles such as Dog Dates.
“Microdrama is entering its next competitive chapter, where quality, retention and monetization standards are increasingly shaped by data and operational discipline,” said Timothy Oh, General Manager of COL Group International.
“As pioneers in both China and the U.S., scaling some of the world’s leading platforms in this space, we understand what it truly takes to win sustainably. Our role is not simply to offer catalogue volume, but to help partners select, position and scale the right content for their platform and audience. By bringing together a broad, constantly refreshed slate from across regions, we enable smarter curation, clearer differentiation and long-term growth for serious industry players.”
Narativ deal
COL and UAE-based Narativ described their deal as a “strategic expansion of premium vertical content distribution across high-growth emerging markets,” and comes as the microdrama continues to boom financially. The growth of the medium will be among the key topics of conversation today at MIP London, where COL chief Oh will be speaking.
The pact extends beyond content representation and is being billed as part of a more “structured micro-drama distribution infrastructure.”
Narativ will spearhead market development, platform alliances, broadcaster relationships and digital monetization frameworks across the MENA and CIS regions and Africa, where they have identified “rapid mobile-first consumption growth and strong demand for short-form, high-engagement storytelling formats.”
“Micro-dramas are reshaping global viewing habits, particularly across mobile-first markets like MENA, Africa and CIS,” said Manjyot Sandhu, CEO and co-founder of Narativ. “Our appointment as official distributor for COL Group in these territories reflects Narativ’s strategy to build sustainable distribution architecture.
“A key pillar of the collaboration includes integration with FlareFlow, enabling strategic telco partnerships, bundled carrier offerings, and alternative monetization pathways designed to accelerate scale across mobile ecosystems and OTT platforms.”
Oh added: “We are building more than a content slate – we are building the global infrastructure for microdrama. With hundreds of new titles launching every quarter, scale and regional strength are critical. Narativ with its deep foothold in MENA, Africa CIS and other key markets makes them a natural strategic partner as we expand FlareFlow and bring microdrama to new platforms, telcos and audiences.
Narativ, which is joint venture Sandhu operates with Copyright Capital, manages around 7,000 hours of content and has a digital network spanning 150 million subscribers across 21 language.
COL Group has emerged as one of the biggest microdrama platforms, running platforms such as FlareFow. It is also a part-owner of ReelShort.
