Amazon MX Player doubles users' time spent on CTV, mobile viewing

Amazon MX Player has doubled its viewing time on CTVs and mobile devices through hit shows like Rise and Fall and a focus on unscripted entertainment and AI-driven innovation

Amazon’s advertising video-on-demand (AVOD) platform, Amazon MX Player, has doubled its viewer engagement on connected television (CTV) and mobile devices, driven by mass entertainment content across original series, reality shows, and its microdrama segment, MX Fatafat.

 

How much has viewing time increased on Amazon MX Player?

 

Karan Bedi, director and head, Amazon MX Player, told Business Standard that since its launch last year, the platform’s minutes per user per day on CTVs have jumped to 80 minutes from 40 minutes. For mobile devices — the platform’s largest user segment — viewing time per user per day has risen to 50 minutes from 20–25 minutes.

 

Which shows have driven this surge in engagement?

 

The platform’s recent reality show Rise and Fall, featuring 15 well-known personalities and hosted by Ashneer Grover, has garnered over 500 million views and ranked among the top OTT reality shows for six consecutive weeks, according to the company. Bedi added that Rise and Fall has become India’s largest digital-first reality series and outperformed long-running franchises in its debut season.

 

What is Amazon MX Player’s content strategy for growth?

 

“Reality and unscripted will continue to be a core part of our growth strategy. We absolutely believe that unscripted content is fertile ground for more opportunities. You will 100 per cent see more happening in that category over the next year,” Bedi said. “We will also bring back returning seasons of our successful shows and continue to innovate with new unscripted formats.”

 

Bedi added that the platform’s microdrama format, MX Fatafat, is also seeing strong traction. Amazon MX Player is expanding its offering of international content dubbed in Indian languages while exploring new genres such as anime and short-form romance.

 

How did Amazon MX Player evolve after Amazon’s acquisition?

 

In October 2024, e-commerce giant Amazon acquired select assets of MX Player, including the app, to merge with its ad-supported video-on-demand (AVoD) service, Amazon miniTV, creating Amazon MX Player. The platform is now among the largest free streaming services in India.

 

How is Amazon MX Player performing on the advertising front?

 

In the past year, the platform has onboarded more than 450 advertisers. Girish Prabhu, head, Amazon Ads India, said this number is expected to grow further in the coming years.

 

“Our ability to bring Amazon signals — trillions of combinations between household behaviour, individual preferences, season, and life-stage changes — helps brands sharpen their strategies and drive better outcomes,” Prabhu said. He added that the platform leverages synergies across Amazon MX Player, Prime Video, Amazon Shopping, and Amazon DSP to create a “full-funnel experience” that connects brands through storytelling, engagement, and conversion.

 

How is Amazon MX Player using AI for content and ads?

 

Prabhu noted that the platform is innovating and testing new advertising formats to improve integration without disrupting the viewing experience.

 

With the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI), Amazon MX Player is experimenting with generative AI tools for both content creation and advertising. Bedi said AI is being used to generate music, scripts, and visual elements for microdramas, as well as for dubbing and subtitling.

 

“It’s helping us create faster, personalise better, and open creative possibilities that weren’t feasible before. We are very actively investing in it,” he said.

 

For advertisers, Prabhu added that AI-driven creative tools are being rolled out to help brands design low-cost, multi-format video ads with multilingual capabilities. These tools cut production time and enable rapid testing for campaign optimisation.

 

What’s next for Amazon MX Player in India’s OTT market?

 

Bedi said that as India’s OTT market continues to expand and consolidate, Amazon MX Player aims to retain its position as one of the country’s largest free entertainment platforms by focusing on unscripted shows, diverse formats, and cutting-edge ad innovations.