Amazon has completed its acquisition of MX Player, a popular Indian streaming service, merging it with its own free-streaming platform Amazon MiniTV to form a new entity, Amazon MX Player. The merger marks a significant move in Amazon’s strategy to dominate the ad-supported streaming space in India, bringing together over 250 million users from both platforms.
Although the financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed, reports suggest the deal is valued at approximately $100 million, a marked decrease from the $140 million Times India paid for MX Player in 2019. MX Player, which began as a mobile media player in South Korea before transitioning into streaming under Times India, struggled with monetization despite gaining significant popularity for its free content offering.
The newly created Amazon MX Player will combine both content libraries, offering a mix of Indian originals like Aashram, Dharavi Bank, and Campus Diaries, along with dubbed Korean, Mandarin, and Turkish shows. The service will remain free for users, accessible via various platforms including mobile apps, Amazon’s shopping app, Prime Video, and Fire TV.
Karan Bedi, Head of Amazon MX Player, highlighted the potential of the merged platform, stating, “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.”
The acquisition also paves the way for advertisers to leverage Amazon’s advanced advertising technology, allowing them to target MX Player’s extensive user base. Girish Prabhu, Head of Amazon Advertising India, emphasized the impact on advertisers, saying, “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.” While Amazon focuses on the free streaming market with MX Player, it continues to operate its paid subscription service, Prime Video, in the country, maintaining its position in both the premium and ad-supported streaming sectors.
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