iWorld
Amazon Prime & AMC Networks to launch AMC+ and Acorn TV on Prime Video Channels in India
Mumbai: Amazon Prime Video & AMC Networks on Friday announced the launch of AMC+ and Acorn TV on Prime Video Channels in India.
AMC+ is a premium subscription program that provides prime members access to a variety of ad-free, exclusive series and movies from the US and around the world, as well as high-quality scripted dramas, fan favourites, and franchises. Acorn TV, which offers dramas and mysteries from Britain and other countries without advertisements, will also be fully accessible to Prime customers as part of their AMC+ membership. For the convenience of prime members, premier original programming will be available with subtitles in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu.
To lock in a one-year membership to AMC+ for Rs 349 via Prime Video Channels, Prime members can now take advantage of a special 50 per cent limited-period promotional offer. With this, consumers can watch content from both AMC+ and Acorn TV on primevideo.com, the Prime Video app on iOS and Android smartphones, smart TVs, connected STBs, and Fire TV sticks.
After the initial discount, the subscription will cost Rs 699 per year. For an introductory annual cost of INR 249, Prime customers may also purchase an add-on subscription to Acorn TV alone. Customers who want to solely subscribe to Acorn TV after the introductory offer can do so for Rs 499 per year.
AMC+ features exclusive new original series (all commercial-free) with new programming premiering each month, including The Walking Dead: Origins (premiering today); western noir Dark Winds (premiering 7 July) executive produced by Emmy-winner George R.R. Martin (Game of Thrones) and Oscar-winner Robert Redford; sci-fi thriller Moonhaven (premiering 4 August) starring Dominic Monaghan (Lost) and Joe Manganiello (True Blood); the acclaimed epic western That Dirty Black Bag starring Dominic Cooper (Preacher); gritty crime drama 61st Street starring Emmy-winner Courtney B. Vance (The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story); and high-octane vampire thriller Firebite, among many others.
Audiences in India will also enjoy a host of new series from AMC Networks’ biggest franchises, including highly anticipated new dramas from The Walking Dead Universe. Tales of the Walking Dead is a new anthology series with an all-star cast premiering later this summer. Isle of the Dead will follow the popular Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) characters from The Walking Dead into a post-apocalyptic Manhattan, coming exclusively to AMC+ in 2023. AMC+ will also launch a new franchise based on Anne Rice’s best-selling novels from ‘The Vampire Chronicles Series’ and ‘The Lives of the Mayfair Witches Series’. Premiering later this year, Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire is an epic story of love, blood and the perils of immortality. Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches will follow and focuses on an intuitive young neurosurgeon who discovers that she is the unlikely heir to a family of witches.
“As the destination for the latest, acclaimed and popular international content, at Amazon Prime Video, we believe in super-serving our customers with choice, access and convenience. Since launch last year, prime video channels has expanded the choice of English and international content available to customers further by giving them access to a wide range of exclusive, high-quality programming from multiple streaming services, while offering them the convenience of enjoying their favourite shows and movies at a single destination, with all their favourite prime video features,” said Amazon Prime Video India head of Prime Video Channels & Sports Chaitanya Divan. “We are delighted to partner with AMC Networks and offer our viewers an even wider selection of popular and blockbuster English content. Prime members have loved our extensive selection of premium international content, available as add-on subscriptions, and we are committed to satisfying their diverse entertainment needs.”
AMC+ general manager Courtney Thomasma commented, “AMC+ offers viewers thousands of hours of celebrated and award-winning series, including our critically-acclaimed dramas from The Son to 61st Street as well as the next generation of fan-driven franchises including The Walking Dead Universe and Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire. With our upcoming slate of AMC+ Originals like Dark Winds and Moonhaven along with access to Acorn TV’s beloved international mysteries and dramas, AMC+ combines thought-provoking stories and iconic characters in one subscription. We are excited to partner with Prime Video Channels to bring our slate of original programming to audiences in India and look forward to delivering many exclusive premieres in the months ahead.”
AMC+ also offers full access to AMC Networks’ targeted streaming service Acorn TV at no additional cost. Acorn TV offers ad-free dramas and mysteries from Britain and beyond, including exclusive productions such as Emmy-nominated Queens of Mystery, My Life is Murder starring Lucy Lawless (Xena: Warrior Princess), London Kills, Under the Vines, Keeping Faith and The Madame Blanc Mysteries, fan favourites such as Line of Duty and Doc Martin, and acclaimed series Jack Irish starring Emmy-winner Guy Pearce, The Straits starring Emmy-winner Brian Cox (Succession) and The Good Karma Hospital, among others. Acorn TV’s newest exclusive series, Love Me, stars Hugo Weaving (V for Vendetta) and premieres 27 June.
e-commerce
Visa report tracks rise of India’s affluent, experience-led spending
Affluent base doubles to 130 lakh, travel 58 per cent of elite spends.
MUMBAI: In India’s new luxury playbook, it’s less about owning more and more about living better. A new whitepaper by Visa Consulting and Analytics (VCA) maps a decisive shift in India’s affluent economy, where spending is becoming more intentional, experience-led, and closely tied to personal identity rather than pure income growth.
Titled India’s Affluent Economy 2025–2026, the report draws on a Visa-commissioned Yougov study and VisaNet data across travel, dining, retail and lifestyle categories. The headline number is hard to miss: individuals earning over Rs 10 lakh annually have nearly doubled from 69 lakh to 130 lakh, significantly expanding the country’s discretionary spending base.
But it’s not just about scale, it’s about behaviour. As consumers move up the affluence ladder, discretionary categories are taking a larger share of credit card spends, positioning cards as key enablers of premium, lifestyle-driven consumption.
The geography of wealth is shifting too. Affluence is no longer confined to metros such as Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru, with cities like Ahmedabad, Surat, Jaipur and Lucknow increasingly mirroring metro consumption patterns.
The report highlights a clear pivot from ownership to access. More than 50 per cent of affluent consumers now use cards for elite memberships, while 7 in 10 are drawn to limited-edition drops and curated collections. Increasingly, luxury is defined by seamless access be it concierge-led travel or curated dining where time saved is as valuable as money spent.
Spending patterns reinforce this shift. Among the ultra-elite, travel accounts for 58 per cent of discretionary spends, far outpacing retail and luxury combined at 28 per cent. Cross-border spending penetration stands at 63 per cent, signalling a growing global outlook among India’s affluent.
Closer home, indulgence is becoming routine. Nearly 4 in 5 affluent consumers dine at premium establishments at least three times a year, while 1 in 4 visit luxury venues more than five times annually. Dining spends are also climbing, with Rs 20,000 emerging as a new entry-level benchmark per experience and Rs 50,000 marking premium territory.
Retail, meanwhile, is becoming more selective. Three in four affluent consumers make a high-end purchase at least once a quarter, while one in four shops premium every two weeks. Luxury retail intensity is also rising, with 2 in 5 consumers spending over Rs 5 lakh annually, and a smaller but significant segment exceeding Rs 10 lakh.
Technology and wellness are carving out new roles in this ecosystem. High-end gadgets now see average spends of Rs 60,000 or more per purchase, while ultra-elite consumers are eight times more likely to visit spas and show five times higher engagement with cosmetic stores than non-affluent groups.
The broader takeaway is structural. Affluent consumers are no longer buying products, they are buying ecosystems. Integrated experiences across travel, dining, wellness and payments are becoming central to how this segment lives and spends.
As India’s affluent base expands beyond metros and aligns more closely with global consumption patterns, the real opportunity lies not just in size, but in speed. For brands, the message is clear: relevance will be defined by how early and how seamlessly, they plug into this evolving lifestyle economy.
