On June 8, ET reported that Amazon agreed to acquire MX Player from Times Internet as part of a strategy to strengthen its video streaming portfolio in India, which already included Prime Video and miniTV. Prior to Amazon’s acquisition, companies like Sony were also in talks to acquire MX Player.
While Prime Video is exclusive to Prime subscribers, miniTV is available for free to all users.
“We will offer high-quality entertainment and streaming experiences faster than we could have done independently while continuing to keep the service free. This merger will mean great things for our viewers, advertisers and content partners, and will let us bring MX Player to even more people in India,” said Karan Bedi, head of Amazon MX Player.
As of September, the combined platform attracted over 250 million unique users, offering a range of original series, popular movies, and international shows dubbed in local languages, the blog post said.
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The service is available through its app on mobile, Amazon.in Shopping app, Prime Video, Fire TV, and connected TVs.Amazon also plans to continue investing in original content and returning seasons of popular shows, offering advertisers new ways to connect with audiences.
Times Internet acquired MX Player in 2018. In 2022, it sold the short-video platform MX Takatak to vernacular social media platform ShareChat.
Netflix, JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar are among the other leading streaming platforms in India. Reliance Industries is looking at combining Disney+ Hotstar with JioCinema post the merger of Viacom18 and Walt Disney India in March this year, ET reported on August 19.
