Yahoo News Amazon Prime Video might soon be playing on trains in India
Amazon Prime is going all out to capture the online video streaming market in India.
After its high-octane launch in the country late last year that saw it tie-up with big-ticket local content creators, Amazon is now in talks with Indian Railways for distribution of its Prime Video services in luxury trains, the Economic Times reported.
SEE ALSO: Netflix gears up to take on Amazon Prime Video in India in 2017
Popular express trains like Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Duronto could be the first ones to enjoy the service, the report added. Distribution boxes would be installed in coaches and passengers can access movies, serials, comedy shows, etc. on their handheld devices via a local Wi-Fi network.
"We don’t comment on future plans,” an Amazon India spokesperson told Mashable India.
Amazon, however, is not the first-mover in this space. In February last year, video-streaming app PressPlay TV had tied up with North Western Railway to offer free VoD services in two trains running between the capital city of New Delhi and the north-western state of Rajsthan.
PressPlay TV offers content such as movies, songs, and news that users access through its Wi-Fi hotspots by installing its free Android app. This content is hosted locally at PressPlay TV hotspot, so it does not need to connect to the internet. The service will reportedly be expanded to 30 trains this year.
Amazon Prime, meanwhile, faces close competition from global rival Netflix as well as local video-streaming service Hotstar.
At the very outset, it has made its 'go-local' strategy clear by collaborating with Bolywood film studios and individual content creators as well as rolling out an impressive line-up of original shows that cater to specific Indian tastes.
