iWorld
Lionsgate properties in film and TV on Amazon Prime Video India
MUMBAI: A large number of Lionsgate’s top acclaimed films, television episodes and upcoming new releases will become the subscription streaming home on Prime Video India following a long-time exclusive deal between Amazon and Lionsgate.
Blockbuster movies like La La Land, which has grossed over $370 million at the worldwide box office and won six Academy Awards, event films including Deepwater Horizon and The Divergent Series: Allegiant and upcoming 2017 releases Power Rangers, The Shack and others will also be exclusively available only to Prime members, and will not be available on Satellite or Pay Television.
Rohit Tiwari at Morris Street Advisors which represents Lionsgate in India negotiated and closed the ground-breaking deal.
“It is awesome that Lionsgate has partnered with Amazon Prime Video to bring its original, daring and highly acclaimed content to Indian customers.” said Amazon Prime Video India director and company head Nitesh Kripalani. “We know our Prime members are going to absolutely love the selection of award-winning films, indelible characters and unforgettable stories from edge-of-the-seat thrillers to spectacular action to heartfelt drama – in true Lionsgate style. Their prestigious and prolific library of motion picture and television titles is sure to produce sizable viewership for us.”
“Our collaboration with Amazon Prime Video India is the latest example of our commitment to bring world-class, award-winning movies and television series to the Indian market and its viewers,” said Lionsgate Worldwide Television & Digital Distribution president Jim Packer.
“We’re very pleased to partner with Amazon as they continue to transform the face of entertainment in India and bring our premium film and television content to their viewers,” he added.
Hit movie franchises like The Twilight Saga, which grossed over $3 billion worldwide, the Saw series, the highest-grossing long-running horror franchise in history, Red and Step Up 5 from the global blockbuster Step up franchise along with worldwide hit TV series such as Nashville, The Royals and Graves amongst others will have their exclusive subscription streaming home on Amazon Prime Video. In addition, popular series such as the iconic Mad Men andAnger Management are included in the deal.
Amazon Prime Video has the largest selection of latest and exclusive movies and TV shows, ad-free across Indian and Hollywood movies, US TV shows, top/popular Indian and international kids’ shows, award winning Amazon Original shows along with content from top Bollywood, regional, Indian and international studios.
iWorld
Telcos push for unified rules as spam shifts to OTT platforms
Over 80 per cent fraud moves online, operators seek common framework.
MUMBAI: The spam may have left your phone network but it hasn’t left you alone. India’s telecom operators are once again dialling up the pressure for a unified regulatory framework, warning that fraud is rapidly migrating to internet-based platforms where oversight remains far looser. According to industry communication, a leading operator has written to multiple arms of the government including the Department of Telecommunications, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Ministry of Finance arguing that tighter controls on traditional telecom networks are inadvertently pushing bad actors towards over-the-top (OTT) communication platforms.
The concern is not new, but the framing has sharpened. What was once an industry grievance is now being positioned as a consumer protection issue. Operators say that tackling spam in silos no longer works, as fraudsters seamlessly shift across platforms, exploiting regulatory gaps. The result: a moving target that traditional safeguards struggle to contain.
Executives point to a clear shift in fraud patterns. OTT platforms are increasingly being used for phishing links, impersonation scams and bulk unsolicited messaging, with industry estimates suggesting that over 80 per cent of spam activity has now migrated online. In this environment, the lines between telecom networks, messaging apps and financial fraud are blurring fast.
At the heart of the industry’s demand is a call for a technology-neutral regulatory framework, one that applies consistently across telecom and internet-based communication services. Operators argue that the absence of uniform safeguards, such as sender verification systems, robust spam filters and clearly defined accountability mechanisms, has created enforcement blind spots that fraudsters are quick to exploit.
The proposal is straightforward but far-reaching. Telcos are pushing for baseline anti-fraud measures across all communication platforms, alongside faster response systems and deeper coordination between ministries. Given the interconnected nature of telecom networks, digital platforms and financial systems, they argue that fragmented oversight only weakens the overall defence.
The broader issue is regulatory arbitrage, the ability of bad actors to hop between platforms based on which is least regulated at any given time. Without harmonised rules, operators say, efforts to curb fraud risk becoming a game of whack-a-mole.
As digital communication continues to expand, the debate is shifting from who regulates what to how consistently it is regulated. For now, telecom operators are making their case clear: in a world where spam travels freely, regulation cannot afford to stay fragmented.
