Having launched its Prime Video at a lower price than Netflix, Amazon India is now consolidating partnerships to expand its user base in the country. It recently partnered with Vodafone, which, after its merger with Idea Cellular in a $23 million deal, is the biggest telecom company in the country with a customer base of 400 million. Amazon aims to penetrate this user base and also build a competitive edge against Reliance Jio and other Indian service providers that are offering streaming services on mobile phones.
Forbes reports that Amazon India is focusing on local content and targeting smartphone video consumers in India. Mint claims that India is expected to have 650 million internet users by 2020, making it a huge market for video-on-demand consumption.
Amazon’s strategy of partnering with a telecom operator that can provide 4G services on mobile phones will likely work since the majority of India’s population is not likely to invest in a fast landline broadband connection to view content on large screens.
