The Information & Broadcasting Ministry has inked a partnership with Amazon India with an objective to grow India’s creative economy and with a focus on skill building and showcasing made-in-India content to global audiences.

Minister of Information & Broadcasting Anurag Singh Thakur said the ongoing digital transformation in India has increased access to internet, smartphones & smart TVs which have been a catalyst for growth of new forms of entertainment including OTT platforms.

He added the Ministry’s partnership with Amazon India would help strengthen industry-academia linkages through scholarships, internships and masterclasses for students at Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) and Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute of India (SRFTI). The initiative would help to reduce the period of struggle for the talented artists coming out of prestigious film institutes of India, Thakur said.

Quality of content

The Minister also voiced his concerns regarding the quality of content on OTT platforms. “The OTT players have the responsibility to ensure that their platforms do not propagate vulgarity and abuse camouflaged as creative expression. India is a diverse country and OTT content must reflect the collective conscience of the country,” he added.

As part of the Letter of Engagement, Amazon Prime Video and miniTV would sponsor scholarships, create internship programmes and offer job opportunities to students of FTII and SRFTI, a Ministry statement added. Additionally, International Film Festival of India (IFFI) Award winning films, and films produced as part of India’s international co-production treaties would be onboarded by Amazon Prime Video for global audience,it added. Also, skill-based masterclasses will be organised for the students of various film and TV institutes among other initiatives.

Gaurav Gandhi, Vice-President, Asia-Pacific, Prime Video said, “At Prime Video, we have always looked at ourselves as the enablers of the creative ecosystem. As an entertainment hub, there is room for every story to be told, which are only enriched if more passionate storytellers find the training, platform and resources required to bring their best work forward. Our rich cultural diversity offers immense potential, to drive a thriving creative economy and further India’s soft- power, internationally.”

He added, “Our holistic collaboration with MIB, looks at every life stage and every-corner of integration to stimulate the growth of the industry, and we are very optimistic of the pathways that it will create.”