Finally, Amazon confirms MX Player acquisition

e4m was the first to report about the potential deal way back in March 2023. Amazon eventually confirmed with e4m in June 2024 that it had purchased some assets

by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 7, 2024 2:10 PM | 3 min read

Amazon has confirmed the acquisition of select assets from MX Player, planning to merge it with Amazon miniTV to create a new service called Amazon MX Player.
This consolidation aims to combine two of India's leading free ad-supported video-on-demand services, enhancing Amazon's position in the Indian streaming market.
The deal, reportedly valued between $30-40 million, follows several months of negotiations and discussions that began earlier in 2023.
Amazon intends to leverage its advertising technology and expand content offerings, promising to enhance viewer experiences while maintaining the service as free for users.

On Monday, eCommerce major Amazon finally confirmed that it has acquired “select assets of MX Player” and intends to merge it with its existing service, Amazon miniTV, to form a single entity – Amazon MX Player.

“This strategic consolidation brings together two of India's most popular free ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) services under a unified brand,” the company said in a statement.

With the launch of the new app, Amazon has become one of the largest free streaming services in India. The US giant claims, “In September, over 250 million unique users enjoyed access to thousands of original shows, popular movies and international shows dubbed in local languages on the combined service.”

While the size of the deal was not immediately clear, sources said it could be between $30-40 million, about one-fourth of the value on which Times Internet Limited had purchased MX Player in 2018.

Notably, it was on March 20, 2023, e4m was the first to report that Amazon was eyeing to acquire MX Player to expand its entertainment business in one of the largest consumer markets in the world.

MX Player and Amazon never confirmed this development then. The deal didn’t materialise after several rounds of talks and negotiations.

The discussions were revived again in May this year. e4m reported again on May 29 about the talks between Amazon and MX Player, which were at a crucial juncture then. Both parties never confirmed it.

Due to consistent reporting on the matter, Amazon officials finally spoke with e4m on June 6, on condition of anonymity due to legalities involved in the deal. Officials said, “Amazon has signed an agreement to purchase some assets from MX Player.”

“Once the buying process is complete, the MX Player team will join Amazon's Mini TV”, official sources had told e4m.

‘Consumers & Advertisers to benefit’

Girish Prabhu, Head of Amazon Advertising India, shares that the merger will bring together the vast reach of MX Player, with the advertising tech that leverages Amazon’s billions of customer signals.

“It’s about enabling all brands, not just the ones selling on Amazon, to reach and deliver relevant advertising to a very large and engaged base across India. It’s about directly measuring outcomes from the very top of the funnel to the very bottom,” he said in a statement.

Amazon will continue to invest in originals and returning seasons of popular shows, which will help provide advertisers the opportunity to deepen their relationships with viewers.

Karan Bedi, Head of Amazon MX Player, says, “Being part of Amazon will let us continue to delight millions of viewers across the country. We will offer high-quality entertainment and streaming experiences faster than we could have done independently, while continuing to keep the service free. This merger will mean great things for our viewers, advertisers and content partners, and will let us bring MX Player to even more people in India.”