iWorld
How Amazon Prime Video is winning in the Indian market
KOLKATA: It is not easy to gain a spot in the ever-expanding streaming map of India. All major international players have set their eyes on the Indian market but Amazon Prime Video has started the innings with a good score. The streaming service has seen good adoption and traction in India on the back of its deep library within three years of its launch. Amazon global CEO Jeff Bezos said earlier this year that they have decided to double down the investment here.
In the second part of APOS 2020, Amazon Prime Video India director and country general manager Gaurav Gandhi and Amazon Prime Video India content director and head Vijay Subramaniam spoke about its secret to success.
The Prime members who also subscribe to the video service of the e-commerce giant renew their membership at a higher rate and engage more, as Gandhi said. Earlier, Amazon boss Bezos also stated that Prime Video is performing better in India than anywhere else in the world.
As Gandhi mentioned, even during the crisis period of the last four-five months, it has kept its content flow normal yet. One of its most popular show Mirzapur’s second season is also coming on the platform very soon.
“We are excited about the success of the Prime Video in India. Its adoption is very broad which is making India one of the fastest-growing markets of this service. Everything we look at Amazon is customer backward, just as the case in Prime video. We just look at what customers want and work backward from that,” Gandhi shared one of the main reasons for the success.
Gandhi attributed the depth of its content library with movies, direct-to-digital releases, premium original content, stand-up comedy as another reason for the success. According to him, Prime Video stands as a truly local service with content in nine languages and user interface in three languages. He also noted that the service focuses highly on experience. Rather than only focusing on access, it also tries to make the process of joining and viewing easier with a seamless experience, on any kind of device and all payment options.
“When we set up the Indian originals team led by Aparna Purohit little over four years ago, we were very clear from the get-go that we have to understand the nuances that are lacking in the kind of stories that customers want to watch and enjoy. Then one truth emerged that high quality cinematically envisioned shows were much sought after,” Subramaniam said. He went on to add that customers were also seeking authentic storytelling. Authenticity, quality of the story, the importance of time, experiments with content have helped the service to build a rich roster of content.
Adding to Subramaniam’s viewpoint, Gandhi said that the variety of content on the back shows like Mirzapur, Inside Edge, Bandish Bandits, Patal Lok gives consumers a different experience not only to Indian users but audience outside the country as well. “One of five customers who watch our Indian originals outside from India,” Gandhi highlighted. According to him, what continues to hold the OTT platform in a good state is its belief in carefully curated content.
Prime Video has always maintained a good library of films, even in local languages. During the first phase of the lockdown, the international streaming giant announced the premiere of seven Indian films across languages with circumstantial changes.
“It was an obvious decision from the beginning that we want to ensure that we provide the latest and greatest films along with a meaningful catalogue. What was important though, it was windowing. We realised that customers of these films, not only they wnt the films but to be able to access them early. We probably pioneered the switching of windows. We disrupted the traditional methodology of theatrical satellite and finally all other windows going from theatrical straight to digital before satellite happened, that was a big meaningful shift for our customers,” Subramaniam said.
Along with other originals and direct-to-digital releases, Prime Video has been able to keep consumers engaged during the pandemic. It has seen very strong growth in the number of content viewed by customers, a number of customers joining and enjoying the service.
iWorld
Uber spotlights Rs 25 bike rides with music led IPL campaign
Uber uses 15 second music films with Divine and Roll Rida to push Rs 25 rides
MUMBAI: In a season where ads usually swing for sixes with celebrity spectacle, Uber has chosen to play a clever single sharp, fast, and straight to the point. Uber has rolled out a distinctly stripped-down IPL campaign, putting its product Uber Bike rides starting at Rs 25 for up to 3 km front and centre, rather than leaning on big-budget storytelling. The campaign features hip-hop artist Divine in Mumbai and Roll Rida in southern markets, using music as the primary vehicle for recall.
IPL advertising has long been dominated by high-production narratives packed with cricketers and film stars. Uber’s approach flips that playbook. Instead of elaborate storytelling, the brand opts for 15-second music-led films quick, rhythmic bursts designed to mirror the pace of urban mobility itself.
The message is deliberately simple, affordable, fast rides that cut through city traffic. No layered plots, no extended build-up just a functional promise delivered with cultural flair.
In the Mumbai-led film, Divine zips through traffic on an Uber Bike, turning the Rs 25 price point into a hook with his signature wordplay around “pachisi”. The campaign cleverly reframes affordability as a moment of delight, the kind that leaves commuters with a “32-teeth smile” after beating traffic at minimal cost.
Meanwhile, Roll Rida’s version leans into southern sensibilities, blending Telugu and Tamil influences with high-energy visuals. Set to the beat of tape drums, the film celebrates how low-cost rides can unlock a more connected and vibrant city experience. Together, the films reflect a conscious push towards regional authenticity, rather than a one-size-fits-all national narrative.
The campaign also signals Uber’s sharper focus on India’s growing bike taxi segment. While the company offers multi-modal services spanning cars, autos, metro integrations and intercity travel, this push zeroes in on two-wheelers as a key growth lever in dense urban markets.
By anchoring the campaign around a Rs 25 entry price for short distances, Uber is targeting everyday commuters, particularly younger users navigating congested cities where speed and cost matter more than comfort.
With IPL advertising clutter at its peak, even the most straightforward message risks getting lost. Uber’s answer is to embed the proposition within culture using music, regional nuance and repeat-friendly short formats to drive recall. The creative team has also layered subtle visual cues including multiple references to “25” within frames encouraging repeat viewing and reinforcing the core message without over-explaining it.
The campaign reflects a broader shift in advertising priorities. As attention spans shrink and media environments get noisier, brands are increasingly favouring clarity over complexity and speed over scale.
Uber’s IPL play may not shout the loudest, but it lands where it matters in the everyday commute. Because sometimes, in a marketplace full of grand narratives, a Rs 25 ride is story enough.
