Now, Amazon Prime Video bets on reality shows in India

After aggressively bidding for local licenced content led by movies, streaming platform Amazon Prime Video is eyeing reality shows to drive online viewership in India.

“Reality shows are now more popular than ever, across a variety of genres. Customers globally have told us how much they enjoy reality shows, like the Japanese Prime Video fan favourite, The Bachelor Japan. With the launch of multiple new original reality shows, we’re aiming to offer our Indian customers a variety of quality new reality content to enjoy,” said James Farrell, head of content, Prime Video, Asia Pacific.

The company on Tuesday announced three unscripted original Amazon shows—a sixepisode travelling comedy show with stand up comedian Vir Das, a 10-episode nationwide hunt to find India’s next big comic sensation and a 10-episode music competition show.

These shows—Jestination Unknown, Comic Kaun and The Remix—are expected to go live in the first three months of next year.

The development comes soon after arch rival Netflix announced two more original series it will produce in India: Selection Day, a story of cricket and corruption based on a book by Booker prize-winner Aravind Adiga, and Again, a detective show written by Marisha Mukerjee.

Vijay Subramaniam, director (content), Amazon Prime Video India, said the company is always looking for new ways to engage with customers.

“We know Indians enjoy reality TV, so we are creating new originals with the best new concepts and local Indian talent. We’re excited to add more variety to our service and offerings, and continue to reinvent the way Indian customers watch TV,” he added.

Ashish Pherwani, media and entertainment advisory leader at consultancy firm EY India agreed that reality shows in India remain popular.