Amazon signs creative industries pact with Indian government

Amazon India has signed a Letter of Engagement (LoE) with the Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) to boost creative industries.

The streamer said the multi-dimensional collaboration will “help create avenues to nurture creative talent in India, build capacity at leading film and television institutions and showcase creative content ‘Made in India’ globally.”

Under the plans, Amazon-owned IMDb and the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) will collaborate to increase the discoverability of Indian creative talent by listing their profiles and skills on IMDb’s ranking platform. There will also be internships and scholarships for students from Film and Television Institute of India and Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute.

Additionally, content from NFDC, Doordashan and the International Film Festival of India will be shown on Prime Video and MiniTV, a streaming service operated by Amazon in India. Amazon.in will also promote books and magazines that reflect India’s heritage, and there will be additional links to Alexa devices and Amazon Music.

The LoE was signed at the National Media Center in New Delhi. Present were Shri Anurag Singh Thakur, Minister of Information and Broadcasting and Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India, Chetan Krishnaswamy, Vice President of Public Policy at Amazon India and Gaurav Gandhi, Vice President of Prime Video for Asia Pacific.

The MIB and Prime Video have previously clashed over the Indian original tandem, with arrested Amazon executives. Two scenes were eventually cut from the show due to government concerns, and director Ali Abbas Zafar issued an apology following complaints from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

This was a key point in India’s streaming, which was largely unregulated until then. Streamers now effectively operate under a system of self-censorship using policies from the MIB. Deadline recently revealed Dibakar Banerjee’s Netflix film discount due to concerns of the film producer, the decision was a political one.

Either way, Amazon has now decided to work more closely with the government.

“We at Prime Video have always seen ourselves as carriers of the creative ecosystem,” says Gandhi. “As an entertainment hub, there’s room for every story to be told, and it’s only enriched when more passionate storytellers find the education, platform and resources they need to showcase their best work.

“Our rich cultural diversity offers tremendous potential to nurture a thriving creative economy internationally and nurture India’s soft power. Our holistic partnership with MIB looks at every life stage and angle of integration to fuel the growth of the industry and we are very optimistic about the paths that will emerge,” Gaurav added.

Thakur, a BJP politician, said the LoE would “help reduce the time of struggle for the talented artistes emerging from India’s prestigious film institutions”.