Kelly Day (in the picture with Manori Ravindran, London correspondent for The Ankler): "Our content selection is anchored in global and international originals"
For Kelly Day, VP International of Prime Video, content cannot be developed solely with the expectation that it will travel. “The most important thing is to consider the local audience you want to reach,” said Day during her talk at the recent Natpe Global, moderated by Manori Ravindran, London correspondent for The Ankler.
She highlighted that the past two years have been fantastic for international teams. “Prime Video is available in 200 countries. When we think about delivering content to our users, we first want to be the number one destination where people go to find their content. When programming for so many different countries, you have to determine the best mix to achieve this. Our content selection is anchored in global originals such as Fallout, You’re Cordially Invited, and Lord of the Rings—titles we know will resonate with many audiences worldwide. Then, country by country, we evaluate the best way to attract new viewers, which is where international originals come in,” she explained.
She pointed out that the Young Adult (YA) genre travels well due to its strong social component. She cited the success of the Spanish film franchise Culpa Tuya, Culpa Mía, and the upcoming third installment Culpa Nuestra, which has performed very well globally.
“Great stories come from different places,” she emphasized.
She also mentioned that Last One Laughing (LOL), a Banijay production, has been a hit for Amazon in more than 20 countries. According to Day, the key is to balance a slate of global titles complemented by local series and films. “It’s rare to see an unscripted title truly resonate across multiple countries. That’s an anomaly,” she noted.
Day highlighted that part of Prime Video’s DNA is centered around working with partners and allies. “We expand our offering through different partnerships, which led to the launch of Prime Video Channels about 10 years ago. Ultimately, the goal is to provide the best possible selection for users in every country where we operate,” she said.
“We have hundreds of partners across dozens of countries, and we genuinely want their tentpoles, their major titles—the content they want to highlight for users—to receive our support, just as we back our global investments. It’s part of this dynamic of finding the right balance between global and regional original productions. We continue to invest in catalog content, films, and live sports in specific markets where it makes sense, but at the end of the day, it’s about offering the best selection for our customers. Of course, it also has to make financial sense, but that’s the core of it. Ultimately, it’s largely about relationships, but decisions are mostly driven at the country level, which makes it really interesting for the platform,” she concluded.
