Amazon has inked a licensing deal with Bollywood banner T-Series for its upcoming films, which include the Bollywood remake of Jon Favreau’s Chef.
This is the second such deal with a major Indian banner announced in recent days by the streaming giant as it builds up its local content library ahead of the launch of its Prime Video service in India. It previously reached an agreement with Bollywood producer Dharma Productions for some of its catalog and upcoming titles.
While Amazon and T-Series did not detail financial terms or specify if the deal covered countries outside of India, they said that the “long-term content licensing partnership will make Prime Video India the exclusive subscription streaming home” for the company’s new releases. The films will stream on Prime Video before their television premiere in the country, “all within a few weeks of their theatrical release,” added Amazon Video India director and country head Nitesh Kripalani.
The company’s 17 titles under production include romantic drama sequels Tum Bin 2 and Yaarian 2 in addition to Raabta, Simran, Noor and Hindi Medium, which stars Irrfan Khan (Inferno). As reported earlier, the Bollywood remake of Chef stars Saif Ali Khan and is directed by Raja Krishna Menon. The project is backed by Abundantia Entertainment and after it was first announced last November, T-Series came on board as a co-producer.
While Amazon has not confirmed a launch date for its Prime Video service, a report by the Economic Times on Wednesday suggested it may bow around the Diwali festival, which is on Oct. 30. The report also suggested that Amazon is in the process of securing more content deals with other leading banners, such as the iconic Yash Raj Films, veteran producer Mukesh Bhatt’s Vishesh Films and Bollywood star Salman Khan’s banner.
