OTT Giant Joins Indian Government to Bury Dark Past

Now that COVID has thrown doubt on the future of streaming, Amazon India has inked a Letter of Engagement (LoE) with India's Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) to stimulate the country's creative sector.

The goal is to "create capacity across eminent film and TV institutes and showcase 'Made in India' creative content on a global stage." With this new agreement, IMDB (controlled by Amazon) and the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) will collaborate to promote Indian talent by featuring their biographies and credentials on IMDB. The Film Institute of India and the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute will also offer internships and financial aid to qualified candidates.

Amazon India's Prime Video and MiniTV will feature programming from the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), Doordarshan, and the International Film Festival of India. There will be book and magazine promotions and integration with Alexa and Amazon Music, thanks to the LoE.

The MIB and Prime Video have had a history of conflict over the Indian original Taandav, with Amazon executives being detained in the past. After the governing BJP lodged objections, filmmaker Ali Abbas Zafar cut two sequences and issued an explanation. Amazon has decided to cooperate closely with the government for the time being.

Graduates of India's top cinema schools will have an easier time breaking into the industry thanks to the LoE.