I&B ministry and Amazon India reach an agreement for media and entertainment cooperation

The ministry of information and broadcasting has signed an agreement with Amazon India for cooperation in the media and entertainment space, with focus on skill building and featuring made-in-India content to global audiences.

Other than organizing workshops for film students across India with assistance from the ministry, Prime Video and miniTV, the two subscription and advertising-driven streaming platforms owned by Amazon will provide internships and scholarships to students from the FTII (Film and Television Institute of India) and Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute.

Amazon will authorise Indian talent to list its profiles on IMDb, the online database of information related to films, television, podcasts and gaming that the company operates. Content from NFDC (National Film Development Corporation) and Doordarshan will be screened on the two streaming platforms as well. There will now also be a dedicated storefront for books and journals from MIB’s Publications Division on the Amazon site. Alexa, the virtual assistant technology owned by Amazon, will be able to disseminate state broadcaster Prasar Bharti news bulletins. Prasar Bharti music will also be available on Alexa and Amazon Music.

“The M&E industry has attracted significant foreign capital in recent times with major global production houses and OTT players entering the Indian market. India has a strong resource base which has requires upskilling with the emerging needs of our times," I&B minister Anurag Thakur said. While emphasizing that the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021 have been notified to ensure self-regulation and self-classification by OTT platforms, Thakur said it is important that services do not propagate vulgarity and abuse in the name of creative expression.

Earlier in 2021, Prime Video had come under government scanner with shows like Tandav, a political drama starring Saif Ali Khan and Dimple Kapadia that had to modify portions after allegations of hurting religious sentiments. "As an entertainment hub, there is room for every story to be told, which are only enriched if more passionate storytellers find the training, platform and resources required to bring their best work forward," “Our rich cultural diversity offers immense potential, to drive a thriving creative economy and further India’s soft- power, internationally. Our holistic collaboration with MIB, looks at every life stage and every-corner of integration to stimulate the growth of the industry, and we are very optimistic of the pathways that it will create," Gaurav Gandhi, vice-president, Asia-Pacific, Prime Video said in a statement.