MX Player aligned with Amazon’s shopping events as a full-funnel strategy: Aruna Daryanani

Streaming is now more than a habit. 83% of internet users consume digital video. And this adoption is not just urban—it cuts across metros, Tier 1, Tier 2, and even rural markets,” said Aruna Daryanani, Director and Head - Product, Tech and Marketing at Amazon MX Player, during her keynote address at the Pitch CMO Summit held in Delhi.

Daryanani opened her talk with a question that immediately resonated with the audience: “How many ads do you remember that you’ve seen over the last day or week or month?” She highlighted the sheer volume of content consumers are bombarded with today, making brand recall and memorability increasingly difficult to achieve.

But that’s where streaming steps in. MX Player, now part of the Amazon ecosystem, is leveraging this scale to help brands go beyond traditional metrics. “With 250 million unique monthly users, our motto is simple—Big Shows, Bigger Reach,” she stated. One of their blockbuster shows, Ashram, has been viewed by over 280 million users.

By combining Amazon’s rich shopper insights with MX Player’s entertainment offering, Daryanani said they can move beyond demographics and psychographics. “Shopping signals tell you what your users actually care about.” Brands using shopping behavior to target ads have seen 33% higher click-through rates and 20% uplift in message association, she added.

Daryanani also showcased industry-first ad formats developed for mobile-first consumption habits. One such innovation includes a vertical video format where “the ad plays on top, and the Amazon landing page opens below it.” According to her, this allows users to interact with the product while the ad plays, increasing both engagement and recall.

Citing examples, she mentioned immersive ad formats like Mama Earth’s vitamin C sunscreen where “oranges literally come out of the screen,” and Hero’s campaign that integrated brand values directly into the visual storytelling.

But Amazon MX Player is not just about creative ad units. It’s about becoming part of the story itself, said Daryanani. Through careful research into audience desires, MX Player curates content that fills emotional and thematic gaps. “No matter the age, our users tell us—‘Life is stressful. Show me something fun,’” she explained, pointing to the success of MX Videsi and Korean drama imports with average watch times exceeding 200 minutes.

Inspirational narratives also resonate deeply. “Rags to riches stories like ‘Physicswala’ and ‘Hustlers’ have struck a chord with our audience,” she said. With 100 new shows launching this year—the biggest programming slate any Indian streaming service has ever undertaken—Amazon MX Player is doubling down on relevance and resonance.

A highlight of the talk was the upcoming “Rise and Fall”, a unique reality show launching during the festive season. Featuring Ashneer Grover as the game master, the show mirrors societal dynamics with rulers in penthouses and hustlers in basements. “It’s about life’s rise and fall, and who better than Ashneer Grover to front it?”

Daryanani emphasized that timing is key. MX Player aligns its biggest shows with Amazon’s shopping sale events, allowing brands to build awareness through content and convert intent through Amazon’s e-commerce ads. It’s a full-funnel strategy—awareness to purchase—on one integrated offering.

As the keynote closed, Daryanani encouraged brands to see Amazon MX Player not just as a service to run ads, but as a creative playground to build powerful stories and deep consumer connections.