Netflix plans local studio in India push. Move comes as rival Amazon Prime Video lines up as many as 18 original shows for India.
Global OTT players are late to the party. Indian players like Hotstar and Hungama Play have surged ahead with customisations tailored for the Indian viewer.
Through this transaction, Amazon has managed to acquire around a 3.6 per cent stake in the Future group.
With an existing consumer base of 400 million across airports, electricity and gas distribution businesses, the Adani group is revving up its retail play. It is planning to use the 2.4 billion consumer interactions a year with group companies to push various products and services. The group has already launched the 'Adani One' super app that will eventually sell products across the spectrum, top executives said.
Quick commerce major Zepto has raised $340 million in a follow-on financing round at a valuation of $5 billion as it gears up for an initial public offering (IPO). This is Zepto's third big-ticket fundraise within a year. With this, the company has raised more than $1 billion in 12 months.
Amazon's fresh investment in its India entities come at a time when the Seattle-based firm has faced losses in several of its business entities in India, such as seller services, wholesale, transportation services and digital payments, for the 2018-19 financial year.
With expectations of customers changing and demand for seamless, uninterrupted shopping increasing, tech companies are now using this fear of becoming irrelevant as a sales pitch to sell their products to traditional retailers.
Holidays turn into horror, Bhansali brand of razzmatazz and tons more on OTT this week.
Not displaying the mandatory information, including country of origin, on products sold on their platforms in India, draws government's attention.
The Supreme Court Tuesday set aside three Delhi high court orders including the refusal to grant a stay on the final arbitral award which had restrained Future Retail Ltd from going ahead with its Rs 24,731 crore merger deal with Reliance Retail and ordered fresh adjudication. In a major relief to Future group, a bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana also set aside the high court's order of February 2 last year, by which it had directed Future Retail Ltd (FRL) to maintain status quo in relation to the merger deal. The March 18 order of the high court, upholding the EA's award and imposing a cost of Rs 20 lakh on it as well as its directors, has also been set aside.
Reliance Retail's digital commerce platform JioMart will morph into an e-marketplace offering multiple brands - from electronics, consumer durables, fashion and lifestyle, beauty, home, kitchen, and grocery - as it girds up to take on the likes of Amazon and Flipkart ahead of the festival season sales. India's largest retailer was in the process of onboarding third-party sellers these past few months, further increasing its selection across categories multifold. Its website and application offers general merchandise as well.
July has some interesting content on OTT, with quite a few original shows and movies premiering in the digital space.
Amazon, in recent years, has emerged as a disruptive force in shopping, attracting millions of customers across the globe - the US and India in particular - to shop online.
As quick commerce gains ground, emerging direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands are betting big on digital channels to drive growth. According to Aman Gupta, co-founder of wearables brand BoAt, new-age brands in India have been expanding at a much faster pace than expected, driven by digital channels like quick-commerce. "Investors doubted the potential of D2C brands when we started, but today there are multiple brands in the startup market that are growing on the shoulders of these digital channels," Gupta said while addressing a session at Razorpay's D2C and Retail Summit recently.
Sony Picture Network India (SPNI) management is committed to long-term growth in India and the company will actively explore new organic and inorganic possibilities to strengthen its presence in the country, company managing director and CEO, NP Singh told employees. In a letter, two-days after the calling off of the $10 billion merger deal with Zee Entertainment, he asked employees to focus on current projects, with an immediate goal to unleash the company's full potential, continuing to craft content that not only engages audiences but also boosts subscriber growth and revenues. "As we close the chapter on our proposed merger with ZEEL (Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd), I want to take a moment to talk to you - not just as your CEO but as someone who has been on this journey with you.
Stepping up the company's AI and cloud play, Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani on Thursday announced that Jio users will get up to 100 GB of free cloud storage to securely store and access their photos, videos, documents, digital content and data. Addressing the 47th AGM of RIL, Ambani said the Jio AI-Cloud Welcome offer will be launched during the upcoming Diwali, which would bring a "powerful and affordable solution where cloud data storage and data-powered AI services are available to everyone, everywhere". "Jio users will get up to 100 GB of free cloud storage to securely store and access all their photos, videos, documents, all other digital content, and data.
With the rains pouring down on us, August offers yet another reason to stay home!
In India, Amazon has taken an open cheque policy by sinking in over $2 bn to grow its business and tried to build local innovations to help it score over local players Flipkart and Snapdeal.
Amazon's fulfilment centres, which store products of hundreds of vendors selling on the American online major's platform, are being cited by Karnataka state government authorities as a primary concern in an ongoing tax dispute.
Chinese e-commerce giant planning to enter India this year, will take on global e-retailer
The People's Choice Survey is an annual report by CashKaro.com, which identifies key trends in online shopping in India.
Sukanya Verma lists her this week's OTT recommendations.
Reuters reported earlier this week that the Competition Commission of India (CCI) has sent a warning notice to the companies expressing concern that the merged entity will effectively have a monopoly on cricket broadcast rights worth billions of dollars, allowing it to squeeze advertisers.
From Vijay Devarakonda to Kung Fu Panda, Sukanya Verma lists everything you can watch on OTT this week.
Major credit issuers, including the largest - HDFC Bank - have integrated their systems with the Bharat Bill Payment Systems (BBPS) for receiving credit card repayments via third-party applications.
There's a spate of book-to-screen adaptations dominating OTT streaming this week. Sukanya Verma lists her recommendations.
India has a tradition of rich narrative and storytelling and hence it's a natural market for self publishing, believes Jon P Fine, Amazon's director (author and publishing relations).
'I would think a hundred times before I wrote a gay character or a mentally challenged character because it requires a lot of research and empathy. That's the reason I shy away entirely from stories that have rape. I just can't. It's just terrifying for me, as a woman, to handle subjects like that because it's so sensitive.'
Dhanush, Mahesh Babu, Sushmita Sen, Bhumi Pednekar, it's a star studded show on OTT this week.
Taking strong exception to Amazon Canada selling doormats depicting the Indian flag, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday asked the e-retailer to withdraw the products and tender an unconditional apology, failing which no official of Amazon will be granted Indian visa and the ones issued earlier will also be rescinded.
'There have been and will continue to be, so many captivating stories in colonial India.' 'Obviously, most of the white people were British, so if I am going to take on a role in a film set in one of the most turbulent periods of Indian history, then it only stands to reason that my character would be of British descent.' 'But that doesn't mean all my roles are negative.'
Gulabo Sitabo was made with a budget of Rs 40 crore to Rs 45 crore. Amazon Prime bought the streaming rights for Rs 60 crore to Rs 65 crore, helping the producers make over Rs 20 crore.
While JioMart is doing 250,000 orders per day, BigBasket and Amazon pantry are doing 220,000 and 150,000 orders, respectively.
Flipkart's hyper-value e-commerce platform Shopsy is intensifying efforts to tap over half of the 821 million internet users (about 442 million) in rural India. These efforts are being led by Prathyusha Agarwal, who recently joined as business head at Shopsy. The aim is to become the go-to destination for consumers seeking entry-level products across various categories.
The two companies have been negotiating to remain separate entities after a merger.
Day Two of the Amazon India Fashion Week saw some awe-inspiring creations.
Sukanya Verma gives you options from all the action promised on OTT this week.
At a time when Flipkart has entered the quick-commerce race with a service called "Minutes", executives at rival players said they are in a wait-and-watch mode. They said they would be concerned only once the e-commerce firm is able to succeed in this space. The Walmart-owned firm's quick-commerce service has gone live in some parts of Bengaluru, putting it in competition with firms such as Zepto, Swiggy's Instamart, and Zomato's Blinkit.
Amazon Prime has reportedly bought the film's exclusive premiere rights at a whopping Rs 30 crore.
Amazon has also signed a term sheet with Kishore Biyani-led Future group to invest $600 million to $700 million for a 12 to 15 per cent stake in the retail giant, it is learnt.
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