Govt, Amazon sign pact to promote creative content

New Delhi, April 5

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and Amazon India today announced a partnership in the field of media, entertainment and public awareness.

As part of the letter of engagement (LoE), Amazon and the ministry will help build pathways to promote creative talent in India, create capacity across eminent film and TV institutes, and globally showcase “Made in India” creative content.

I&B Minister Anurag Thakur said the partnership with Amazon India was unique on a number of counts. The pact would help strengthen industry-academia linkages through provisions for scholarships, internships, masterclasses and other opportunities for students at Film and Television Institute of India and Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute of India.

Voicing concern over the quality of content on OTT platforms, the minister said these platforms should ensure that vulgarity and abuse were not propagated in the garb of creative expression.

Amazon is expected to promote Indian heritage through a dedicated catalogue of books on India’s culture on its e-commerce website, and promotion of Indian music on Amazon Music and Alexa.

As part of the collaboration with the ministry, films winning awards at International Film Festival of India and movies produced as part of India’s international co-production treaties would be made available by Amazon Prime Video to a global audience.