MUMBAI: It's a trend worldwide that over-the-top (OTT) platforms have seen huge uptake in consumption under shelter-in-place directives due to the Covid2019 crisis. Amazon Prime Video is no exception. The streaming service segment of the e-commerce giant is also experiencing a lot more usage from prime subscribers. Moreover, it's the first time that users also nearly doubled in March. 

“In March, the first time, viewers nearly doubled, which is I think a good thing for people when they are looking to stay entertained and see our video collection. It's also beyond just Prime Video, our channels and video rentals also went up as I'm sure others in the entertainment business saw that as well,” Amazon senior vice president and chief financial officer Brian T Olsavsky said in an earnings call.

Olsavsky also mentioned that in the US, the UK and Germany movies are going direct to pay-per-view because of the lack of theatres and that was a good move by the team. It has been very well received and they have also made a lot of kids and family content available free to watch on Prime Video. He said that people are getting a better look at what's available with their Prime memberships other than shopping. 

Additionally, users are finding more benefit from Alexa as they stay at home. They are listening to more music and asking many questions related to issues around Covid2019. Alexa is also being used for educational purposes for children. Moreover, it is being used a lot more on the communication side as people are using Alexa calling and drop in.

“So I think the Prime story is that shopping is really important for people now, especially when those people can't leave their houses. I think the digital benefits are scaling well. I think they are handling the additional demand and it gives people a good time and reason to use all of their Prime benefits that maybe they hadn't used as much in the past,” he added.