Several hundred staff from Amazon’s streaming service Prime Video and film and TV production and distribution division Amazon MGM Studios have been laid off.
The US company’s senior vice president of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios Mike Hopkins has sent an email to staff (January 10), in which he acknowledged “our industry continues to evolve quickly and it’s important that we prioritize our investments for the long-term success of our business, while relentlessly focusing on what we know matters most to our customers. Throughout the past year, we’ve looked at nearly every aspect of our business with an eye towards improving our ability to deliver even more breakthrough movies, TV shows, and live sports in a personalized, easy to use entertainment experience for our global customers.
“As a result, we’ve identified opportunities to reduce or discontinue investments in certain areas while increasing our investment and focus on content and product initiatives that deliver the most impact. As a result of these decisions, we will be eliminating several hundred roles across the Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios organization.”
His note continued, “To help with the transition, we are providing packages that include a separation payment, transitional benefits as applicable by country, and external job placement support.”
Prime Video’s shows include The Boys, The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power and Good Omens. while Saltburn, Emerald Fennell’s raucous class satire has been popular at the box office for Amazon MGM Studios, currently grossing over £5m in the UK-Ireland alone.
This is not the company’s first round of cuts – Amazon laid off around 27,000 employees through 2022 to 2023.
The lay-offs come weeks before Prime Video will start rolling out its ad-supported service, from January 29 in the US and February 5 in the UK and Germany.
No comments yet