‘We’re building a video streaming habit, not chasing a subscription’

At Goafest 2025, Amazon MX Player’s leadership—Amogh Dusad, Head of Content, and Aruna Daryanani, Director and Head- Product, Tech and Marketing—shared insights into the platform’s growth story, evolution in user engagement, and the direction in which India’s largest free video streaming service is headed.

The past year has marked a pivotal transformation for the platform. With the merger of Amazon MiniTV and MX Player into what is now Amazon MX Player, the service saw an immediate doubling of viewership. “One of the major shifts has been reaching 250 million unique users per month, and it’s still growing,” said Daryanani. “This means we’re catering to a massive base—so while we still deliver popular entertainers, we’re also programming very relevant content for different cohorts.” She added that the streaming service is set to release over 100 new shows in 2025, spanning originals, global dubbed content under the MX Videsi slate, and an expanding film library.

Dusad elaborated on the dynamics of content consumption in this vast and diverse landscape. “The same consumer is in different mood states at different times—sometimes they want to binge a long-form series, other times they’re looking for quick entertainment in short windows,” he explained. This insight has led to the development of MX Fatafat, a vertical short-format offering of serialized fiction episodes, each lasting just two minutes. “It’s a new consumer need-state we’re solving for,” said Dusad, noting the opportunity that thumb-scrolling behavior presents. “It’s our attempt to program serialized storytelling in a mobile-first, bite-sized format.”

With its free-to-view model, Amazon MX Player operates entirely on ad-supported revenue, something both leaders see as a strategic advantage. “It’s a dream job to create content with no access barrier for the user,” Dusad said. “Every month, our streamer numbers are significantly higher than any single pay TV or FTA channel.” He emphasized the strength of the video streaming service’s advertising proposition—massive reach, fully curated content with no UGC, and relevant reach through shopping signals derived from the Amazon offering. “That combination—brand safety, consumer intent, and unmatched distribution—makes our advertising offering very unique.”

Daryanani explained that while Amazon MiniTV was born within the Amazon Shopping app, Amazon MX Player is now available on over 15 distribution channels including Fire TV and connected TVs, thus benefiting from the scale and insights Amazon offers. “The trillions of shopping signals Amazon generates power better ad reach. Advertisers know they are reaching the right audience in the right context.”

On content differentiation, Dusad addressed Amazon MX Player’s broad-based, and ad-supported offering.” This shapes everything from genre selection to platform tone. “For us, the themes are what matter more than genre. We try to map cultural, emotional, and aspirational themes that resonate across India.”

One such example is the recently launched show Hustlers, a narrative built around India’s startup culture. According to Dusad, such decisions are often guided by on-ground consumer insights. “My team travels to different cities like Patna and Lucknow to understand what people are aspiring for. Inspiration is one recurring theme we heard, which is how Hustlers came about. It’s not just a show—it’s a reflection of people’s dreams and struggles.”

The platform has also made a bold foray into anime, with localized content available free of cost. “It’s probably the first time anime is being offered dubbed in Indian languages at no charge,” said Dusad. “The reception has been overwhelmingly positive, especially among Gen Z.”

Another major growth pillar is international content. Under the MX Videsi category, Amazon MX Player has quietly built India’s largest catalog of localized foreign shows—over 220 titles and counting. “We’ve broken the myth that international content is only for a niche. Our insights show wide-scale adoption, especially among women. Sixty percent of Videsi viewers are female,” Daryanani revealed. The genre has grown to become a lion’s share of the viewership pie, with content ranging from Korean dramas to Thai thrillers and even Chinese anime. “We’re planning to launch 70–80 new Videsi shows this year alone. This is just the tip of the iceberg.”

With scale and ambition come technological challenges, and Amazon MX Player is actively investing in infrastructure to support it. “We recently completed the integration of MX systems into Amazon’s tech stack,” said Daryanani. “Now, we’re focused on innovating with ad formats—interactive and immersive ads that are industry firsts—and making sure users stream seamlessly with low latency and minimal data usage.” She also stressed the role of personalization. “With this kind of user base, recommending the right content is critical. We’re doubling down on AI to make sure every visit feels relevant.”

When asked whether Amazon MX Player is becoming the new television, Daryanani smiled but didn’t disagree. “We’re already as large as some of the biggest TV channels in India. But digital allows us to do more—serve specific cohorts without compromising on scale.” Unlike traditional broadcast, the platform’s content strategy combines the reach of mass programming with niche offerings for segments like young women, Gen Z anime fans, and viewers of international dramas.

The free-to-watch model also allows the platform to lead in programming original shows at scale, a differentiator in an OTT space where most premium content sits behind a paywall. “We’re the only service programming originals at this scale without a subscription fee,” Daryanani emphasized.

Looking ahead, the focus remains on driving reach, relevance, and innovation. While the leadership declined to share specific revenue targets, the mood was confident. “Let’s just say we’re scaling rapidly—month on month,” said Daryanani. “A single tentpole show like Ashram can bring millions back to the streaming service. And our slate for the rest of the year is packed.”

In a rapidly evolving OTT landscape, Amazon MX Player’s bet on accessibility, breadth of content, and ad innovation seems to be paying off. With experiments like MX Fatafat on the horizon and an expanding international catalog, the platform is not just keeping pace with changing consumer habits—it’s actively helping shape them.