Amazon has launched a free video streaming service that sits completely separate to Amazon Prime Video. Called MiniTV, it resides within the main Amazon shopping app and is only available to customers in India right now, TechCrunch reports.
It's not Amazon's first free video streaming app; IMDb TV launched in the US a couple of years ago. And of course, its main, paid-for video streaming offering, Prime Video, comes as part of its Prime one-day delivery service (along with the basic tier of Amazon Music) or is available separately for £8 ($13) a month.
MiniTV features web series, comedy shows, and content around tech news, food, beauty and fashion. Though this is just “to begin with,” according to Amazon, so we could see it expand soon.
It leans heavily on local content, with Indian production companies TVF and Pocket Aces both contributing content, as are Indian comedians.
But not all of it is original content. According to one review, a lot of its content was produced for other platforms, or has already been hosted on YouTube.
"Viewers will be informed on latest products and trends by tech expert Trakin Tech, fashion and beauty experts such as Sejal Kumar, Malvika Sitlani, Jovita George, Prerna Chhabra and ShivShakti," the firm said in a statement. "Food lovers can enjoy content from Kabita’s Kitchen, Cook with Nisha, and Gobble. In the coming months, MiniTV will add many more new and exclusive videos."
MiniTV is only available in the Android Amazon app in India right now but will come to the iOS app soon.
There's no word on whether it will launch in other countries in which Amazon operates.
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