Amazon India launched MiniTV, an ad-supported, free video streaming feature within the Amazon.in application.
MiniTV feature in the Amazon India application is a completely different feature to that of the existing Amazon’s Prime Video service. The MiniTV feature is introduced within Amazon’s existing shopping app, instead of launching a new individual app. This feature will be available only to the users in India. Amazon’s new feature MiniTV will mostly include the older content originally created by the content partners for YouTube and other platforms. The content line-up consists of fashion, beauty, cookery shows, and tech news. Amazon’s partners for the channel consist of Indian web content studios TVF and Pocket Aces, and list of renowned Indian comedians.
Amazon also stated that they are planning to have “new and exclusive videos” in the next few months. This feature would be a tough competitor to Walmart-owned Flipkart Video, the free streaming service, which was launched back in the year 2019. Amazon is currently promoting its Prime Video app to the Indian consumers as it competes with Netflix. Netflix is all set to unveil more than three dozen new shows and movies this year in India. The free MiniTV feature will aid Amazon to check if streaming content can initiate sales on its e-commerce application.
For the time being, MiniTV will be available only for Android users within the Amazon shopping app, however they are planning to introduce on iOS and the web in the next few months. Amazon has not mentioned whether this feature would be introduced in other countries in the future. MiniTV will also help Amazon to keep viewers wandering towards paid alternative such as Disney+ Hotstar in India. An international expansion of this feature may help Amazon deal with the rise of free, ad-supported video services booming in some countries across the globe.
