Amazon is Eliminating Hundreds of Jobs at Prime Video and MGM Studios
- Laurent Giret
- Jan 10, 2024
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Amazon is starting the new year with really bad news for some of its employees. After the company laid off no less than 27,000 employees last year, The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Amazon is now getting rid of hundreds of employees working at its Prime Video streaming service and MGM Studios.
Mike Hopkins, Senior Vice President at Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios announced the bad news to employees in an email sent this morning. The exec explained that after the company made big investments in programming, marketing, and technology, it’s time for Amazon to refocus on “what we know matters most to our customers.”
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“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,” Hopkins wrote.
The exec didn’t go into details about what Prime Video subscribers can expect in the near future. However, we do know that starting January 29, Amazon will start introducing ads on Prime Video in select markets including the US and the UK. Subscribers will need to pay an extra $2.99/month to enjoy the same ad-free experience they had before.
Prime Video and MGM Studios aren’t the only Amazon divisions to be affected by job cuts this week. Earlier today, Twitch also announced that it was laying off 500 employees, which represent approximately 35% of the company’s workforce. The live streaming service had previously announced some cost-cutting measures in December with its exit from the South Korean market due to “prohibitive costs.”