After its arrive in Thailand more than a year ago, Prime Video remains firmly on its Southeast Asian planes, and has already launched a number of new local content and channels. Last August released its first original in the Thai market, Comedy Island Thailand, produced by Liminal Entertainment.
The streamer’s VP for Asia Pacific, Gaurav Gandhi, recently commented at the APOS conference that in addition to original content, they are adding channels and TVOD to the platform’s offering. ‘We have always said that we are not just focused on SVOD service primarily, but we are also a content hub and a marketplace with TVOD channels. We are in different stages of growth throughout the region. We have been investing in Japan and India for a while, and now we are starting to build Southeast Asia’.
On teh other hand, Prime Video‘s head of Thai content, Darin Darakananda, referred to the service’s strategy in Thailand, in the recent edition of the Content Asia Summit: ‘We want to reach and surprise the audience with all the content we are creating’.
The executive specified that in this market, the OTT defined a four-pillar content strategy: Korean content (which works well in Thailand); Japanese anime; Hollywood titles and major entertainment shows; and local originals.
This strategy is framed in businesses such as alliances with third parties, both producers, distributors and TV channels, and thus add to what they have built in India and Japan. ‘When we started in India, we realized we needed to start building a community of writers and we brought in consultants, writers and directors from outside India to help with some of our programs’, Gandhi said. ‘That really helped boost the country’s entire creative economy and I’m excited to bring some of those initiatives here’.
The company already have a team formed for this region, with three mainly countries in focus: Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand. ‘We see them as such prolific media and entertainment industries, with phenomenal talent, that we are excited to take advantage of that.’
Meanwhile, the service continues with its current developments, which they announced a few months ago, such as Seige At Thorn High from Come & See Pictures, directed by Joko Anwar. Also This is Just the Beginning, the film 4 Seasons in Java, written by Kamila Andini (currently in development with Four Color Films in Indonesia); in Thailand they plans to release the film Three Idiots and A Ghost in co-production with Jungka Bangkok, based on the novel by Sal Kim and published by Wattpad.
Finally, both executives have been emphatic about how they will manage the costs of the service in these countries, knowing the currency variations and the sociocultural implications that this implies. Gandhi explained that when Prime Video landed in Southeast Asia, it focused on India and Japan, two countries where it could offer a complete package of membership benefits, already known to subscribers in America and Europe. ‘Those services are not currently available in Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand, but our goal in terms of providing a quality experience is the same and will eventually be added as the platform grows in these countries’.
