Indian e-commerce company Flipkart is all set to launch its free video streaming service soon. As per a fresh report, the e-commerce giant will launch its video streaming service in the coming months with content from international and domestic production houses. Initially, the company will not offer original content and the in-house content would come later. Additionally, Flipkart might also not launch a separate app for the same, Money Control reports.
In December 2018, Krishnamurthy revealed that Flipkart was unlikely to build a content platform from scratch, since this wasn’t the company’s field of expertise. Instead, Flipkart could tie-up with established content platforms and use its own services as a distribution medium. This could be in the form of bundled packages that tie in with its existing subscription service, Flipkart Plus.
Amazon India similarly distributes content through its Amazon Prime subscription service, which bundles streaming video and audio along with shopping benefits such as free one-day and two-day shipping, no minimum order amount and access to Amazon Prime Now for scheduled grocery deliveries. Since Flipkart’s service is still likely in the planning or strategy phase, it’s unclear how the service will work. Flipkart could tie up with major content providers for distribution, such as Hotstar which it has existing business ties.
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In 2018, Flipkart was acquired by US retail giant Walmart. The company acquired a controlling stake in the company for $16 billion. The firm has itself made significant acquisitions and launched ventures related to content. But these have largely been unsuccessful. Flipkart’s attempt to crack into the video streaming space in India seems to be very difficult as the company will face strong competition from big-ticket firms like Amazon, Netflix, Hotstar and even Reliance Jio. Besides, the upcoming video streaming service from Flipkart is currently in beta mode. It is expected to debut ahead of the peak Diwali shopping season.