Amazon Prime Video pursues an offensive strategy in content

Amazon is increasing “Exponentially” its investments in content for its Prime Video platform, and is keen to let it be known. During a presentation on its new programs for 2021, in front of French journalists, Monday, March 22, the company of Jeff Bezos announced the launch, this year, of ten contents produced in France. In Europe, Amazon has twenty-five projects in progress, which is 70% more than in 2020. Since the start of its expansion on the continent, in 2014, the company had only released thirty… At the level worldwide, Prime Video claims two hundred and fifty projects. And, a significant fact, the service is now investing heavily in sport.

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In France, the progression is spectacular, because Amazon started from afar: the service had not released any “Original production” hexagonal in 2019 and only two in 2020. The Covid-19 pandemic has shifted some content to 2021, explains Thomas Dubois, director of creations Amazon Originals France. The transposition of the European directive which obliges subscription video services to invest more than 20% of their turnover in local creation may also have played a role. Amazon is now targeting twelve French productions per year, ” see more ” : “Having ambitious and strong content per month is our roadmap”, explains Mr. Dubois.

Powerful competitors

Among the releases in 2021, The Bal des folles is a film by and with Mélanie Laurent, about a woman interned for practicing spiritualism, at the end of the XIXe century. Series Greek salad, by Cédric Klapisch, extends his trilogy on Europe launched with The Spanish inn (2002). Series Totem Operations, with Niels Schneider, Vera Kolesnikova or José Garcia, follows spies during the Cold War. Series Miskina, on a young Muslim woman embodied by comedian Melha Bedia, illustrates Prime Video’s desire to reflect ” the diversity ” of the society. This policy, like the broadcast of stand-up comedy, is shared with Netflix.

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However, Amazon stands out with programs adapted from foreign formats: in the game “LOL, you laugh, you lose”, ten comedians, from Kyan Khojandi to Gérard Jugnot, will have to make others laugh in order to eliminate them. In “Celebrity Hunted”, personalities – Laure and Florent Manaudou, Squeezie and Seb la Frite… – will have to escape “Tracking experts”.

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