Bismah Malik By

Express News Service

FLIPKART will now stream original short stories, celebrity shows through its newly launched 'Video Originals' service that would be available on its mobile app.

The e-commerce giant said it has partnered with production houses and filmmakers to stream video contents to over 150 million users who are shopping from its platform.

With this announcement, Flipkart joins the league of its arch rival Amazon, which has been streaming original contents in the form of short films, documentaries and drama series to its prime subscribers in India since December 2016.

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Amazon Prime with Netflix continue to dominate the Indian digital media industry that grew by 42 per cent to touch Rs 16,900 crore in 2019, said a report by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industries in India (FICCI) and consulting firm EY.

Walmart-owned Flipkart said it would stream snackable content first to millions of subscribers by creating short stories with Academy award winner Guneet Monga.

It also announced its tie-ups with production houses Studio Next, Frames and Sikhya Productions to produce contents in regional languages.

Bollywood film director and choreographer Farah Khan will host a celebrity chat show Backbenchers that will go live later this month, Flipkart said.

“Within the first two months of the launch of Flipkart Video, we are overwhelmed with the positive response. We are launching our next content offering — ‘Video Originals’.

There is an existing gap that needs to be filled...we saw an opportunity to create great video content, which is easier for people to consume, that is mobile-first. From short stories to entertainment shows, we believe our platform will have something special for every consumer," said Prakash Sikaria, VP, Flipkart.