News Analysis India

Tag: Amazon

  • Amazon Alexa to soon allow advertisers to answer your queries

    By IANS

    SAN FRANCISCO: Tech giant Amazon has launched a new Alexa-powered capability geared toward helping advertisers answer common customer questions.

    The capability is called Customers ask Alexa, and it works when customers pose questions to Alexa, including queries related to a product’s features or compatibilities, Alexa responds with helpful answers provided by brands from those product categories.

    “Amazon recognizes brands as experts on their products. With this new capability, we have made it easier for brands to connect with customers to help answer common questions and better inform their purchase decisions,” Rajiv Mehta, general manager of Alexa Shopping at Amazon, said in a blog post.

    ALSO READ | Heard your late relative’s voice? It could be Alexa’s mimic

    Brands registered with Amazon Brand Registry will see the new Customers ask Alexa feature in Seller Central, where they can easily discover and answer frequently asked customer questions using self-service tools.

    All answers go through Alexa’s content moderation and quality checks before Alexa selects the most relevant answer to share with customers.

    The feature will be available in Seller Central for a select group of brands beginning October 2022 as an invite-only programme and will become available to all eligible brands in the US in 2023.

    It will be available to shoppers via the Amazon search bar in late 2022, and via Echo devices in mid-2023.

    SAN FRANCISCO: Tech giant Amazon has launched a new Alexa-powered capability geared toward helping advertisers answer common customer questions.

    The capability is called Customers ask Alexa, and it works when customers pose questions to Alexa, including queries related to a product’s features or compatibilities, Alexa responds with helpful answers provided by brands from those product categories.

    “Amazon recognizes brands as experts on their products. With this new capability, we have made it easier for brands to connect with customers to help answer common questions and better inform their purchase decisions,” Rajiv Mehta, general manager of Alexa Shopping at Amazon, said in a blog post.

    ALSO READ | Heard your late relative’s voice? It could be Alexa’s mimic

    Brands registered with Amazon Brand Registry will see the new Customers ask Alexa feature in Seller Central, where they can easily discover and answer frequently asked customer questions using self-service tools.

    All answers go through Alexa’s content moderation and quality checks before Alexa selects the most relevant answer to share with customers.

    The feature will be available in Seller Central for a select group of brands beginning October 2022 as an invite-only programme and will become available to all eligible brands in the US in 2023.

    It will be available to shoppers via the Amazon search bar in late 2022, and via Echo devices in mid-2023.

  • Tolkien is turning in his grave: Elon Musk criticizes Amazon’s ‘The Rings Of Power’ show

    By ANI

    WASHINGTON: Tesla CEO Elon Musk has criticized Amazon’s big-budget fantasy drama series ‘The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power’, stating that the late author J.R.R. Tolkien is “turning in his grave.”

    According to Variety, Musk took to his official Twitter handle and slammed the show with a pair of short tweets which included the above statement.

    His second tweet read, “Almost every male character so far is a coward, a jerk or both. Only Galadriel is brave, smart and nice.”

    Almost every male character so far is a coward, a jerk or both. Only Galadriel is brave, smart and nice.
    — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 5, 2022
    Galadriel, played by Welsh actor Morfydd Clark, is a warrior elf and the lead of the series set thousands of years before the events of ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings’.

    Clark has herself been the target of criticism from online trolls, with complaints generally claiming the regal nature of the character in the original JRR Tolkien novels and Peter Jackson films has been replaced by an all-action warrior elf queen.

    It is worth noting that Musk, who’s currently tangled in a web trying to exit his proposed USD 44BN takeover of social site Twitter, has a long-running feud and rivalry with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, that has intensified as Musk’s SpaceX and Bezos’ Blue Origin compete directly.

    The enmity between the world’s two richest people has seen the Tesla CEO habitually troll or shitpost against Bezos and his companies.

    So far ‘Rings of Power’, directed by JA Bayona, Wayne Che Yip and Charlotte Brandstrom, has been a huge success for Amazon, scoring 25 million viewers for the first two episodes, Prime Video’s top premiere ever, reported The Hollywood Reporter.

    The eight-episode first season will run until October 14. According to Variety, the second season of ‘The Rings of Power’ is already in the works as part of Amazon’s five-season agreement with the Tolkien estate. 

    WASHINGTON: Tesla CEO Elon Musk has criticized Amazon’s big-budget fantasy drama series ‘The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power’, stating that the late author J.R.R. Tolkien is “turning in his grave.”

    According to Variety, Musk took to his official Twitter handle and slammed the show with a pair of short tweets which included the above statement.

    His second tweet read, “Almost every male character so far is a coward, a jerk or both. Only Galadriel is brave, smart and nice.”

    Almost every male character so far is a coward, a jerk or both. Only Galadriel is brave, smart and nice.
    — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 5, 2022
    Galadriel, played by Welsh actor Morfydd Clark, is a warrior elf and the lead of the series set thousands of years before the events of ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings’.

    Clark has herself been the target of criticism from online trolls, with complaints generally claiming the regal nature of the character in the original JRR Tolkien novels and Peter Jackson films has been replaced by an all-action warrior elf queen.

    It is worth noting that Musk, who’s currently tangled in a web trying to exit his proposed USD 44BN takeover of social site Twitter, has a long-running feud and rivalry with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, that has intensified as Musk’s SpaceX and Bezos’ Blue Origin compete directly.

    The enmity between the world’s two richest people has seen the Tesla CEO habitually troll or shitpost against Bezos and his companies.

    So far ‘Rings of Power’, directed by JA Bayona, Wayne Che Yip and Charlotte Brandstrom, has been a huge success for Amazon, scoring 25 million viewers for the first two episodes, Prime Video’s top premiere ever, reported The Hollywood Reporter.

    The eight-episode first season will run until October 14. According to Variety, the second season of ‘The Rings of Power’ is already in the works as part of Amazon’s five-season agreement with the Tolkien estate. 

  • Cyndi Lauper to play private investigator in Amazon series ‘The Horror of Dolores Roach’

    By Express News Service

    Singer Cyndi Lauper has joined the cast of The Horror of Dolores Roach, the upcoming Amazon series. She is said to play a recurring guest role in the series. According to Variety, Lauper will appear in the show opposite previously announced lead Justina Machado as well as cast members Alejandro Hernandez, Kita Updike, K Todd Freeman, Marc Maron, Jean Yoon, Judy Reyes, and Jeffery Self.

    The series is based on the Gimlet podcast of the same name. Amazon has given the half-hour show an eight-episode order. In the series, Dolores Roach (Machado) is released from prison after 16 years and returns to a severely-gentrified Washington Heights with USD 200 and the clothes on her back. 

    With her boyfriend gone missing, and long gone family, Dolores reunites with an old stoner buddy, Luis (Hernandez), who gives her room to board and lets her give massages for cash in the basement under his dilapidated storefront Empanada Loca, the only remnant of her former life.

    When the promise of her newfound stability is quickly threatened, Dolores is driven to shocking extremes to survive and in the face of unexpected professional success, Dolores and Luis become dangerously symbiotic, and Luis must unleash his peculiar predilections. Lauper will play Ruthie, a Broadway theatre usher, who is a private investigator and stirs up trouble for Dolores Roach.

    Singer Cyndi Lauper has joined the cast of The Horror of Dolores Roach, the upcoming Amazon series. She is said to play a recurring guest role in the series. According to Variety, Lauper will appear in the show opposite previously announced lead Justina Machado as well as cast members Alejandro Hernandez, Kita Updike, K Todd Freeman, Marc Maron, Jean Yoon, Judy Reyes, and Jeffery Self.

    The series is based on the Gimlet podcast of the same name. Amazon has given the half-hour show an eight-episode order. In the series, Dolores Roach (Machado) is released from prison after 16 years and returns to a severely-gentrified Washington Heights with USD 200 and the clothes on her back. 

    With her boyfriend gone missing, and long gone family, Dolores reunites with an old stoner buddy, Luis (Hernandez), who gives her room to board and lets her give massages for cash in the basement under his dilapidated storefront Empanada Loca, the only remnant of her former life.

    When the promise of her newfound stability is quickly threatened, Dolores is driven to shocking extremes to survive and in the face of unexpected professional success, Dolores and Luis become dangerously symbiotic, and Luis must unleash his peculiar predilections. Lauper will play Ruthie, a Broadway theatre usher, who is a private investigator and stirs up trouble for Dolores Roach.

  • Amazon Prime Video starts shooting reboot of Takeshi’s Castle

    By Express News Service

    Amazon Prime Video has started shooting a reboot of the 90s classic game show Takeshi’s Castle with a new castle and an entirely new set of games. Popular Japanese comedian Takeshi Kitano is set to host the game show. The iconic television show premiered between 1986 and 1990 and shattered cultural barriers to become a worldwide success. Originally developed by Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS), the show went on to inspire many similarly-themed game shows.

    The show premiered in India on the Pogo Channel in 2005 with a Hindi voice-over commentary from Bollywood actor/comedian Jaaved Jaffrey. Amazon Prime Video is planning to release the game show reboot in 2023 in over 240 countries. The original show had around hundred contestants forced to go through a list of wacky physical challenges set around giant, goofy, set pieces.

    The original Takeshi’s castle had a list of creative physical challenges like You Can’t Continue on an Empty Stomach, Wall to Freedom Becomes Far, Barrier of the Border, and Dragon God’s Pond. Jaaved Jaffrey has shown interest in returning to the show but his involvement in the project is unclear at the moment. 

    Amazon Prime Video has started shooting a reboot of the 90s classic game show Takeshi’s Castle with a new castle and an entirely new set of games. Popular Japanese comedian Takeshi Kitano is set to host the game show. The iconic television show premiered between 1986 and 1990 and shattered cultural barriers to become a worldwide success. Originally developed by Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS), the show went on to inspire many similarly-themed game shows.

    The show premiered in India on the Pogo Channel in 2005 with a Hindi voice-over commentary from Bollywood actor/comedian Jaaved Jaffrey. Amazon Prime Video is planning to release the game show reboot in 2023 in over 240 countries. The original show had around hundred contestants forced to go through a list of wacky physical challenges set around giant, goofy, set pieces.

    The original Takeshi’s castle had a list of creative physical challenges like You Can’t Continue on an Empty Stomach, Wall to Freedom Becomes Far, Barrier of the Border, and Dragon God’s Pond. Jaaved Jaffrey has shown interest in returning to the show but his involvement in the project is unclear at the moment. 

  • Parl panel to summon Google, Twitter, Amazon, other big tech firms to discuss their competitive conduct

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: With a number of global tech giants facing CCI probe for alleged anti-competitive practices, a key Parliamentary panel on Thursday decided to summon representatives of Google, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter and others to examine their competitive behaviour.

    The next meeting of the panel on the issue is likely to be held on May 12. The issue was discussed in detail by members of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance after a presentation was made before it by the Competition Commission of India (CCI).

    The regulator told the panel that it was setting up a ‘Digital Markets and Data Unit’ for effectively dealing with anti-competition practices of big tech companies and bringing a new bill to amend the CCI Act.

    CCI also cited a number of investigations it is carrying out in the digital space, including those against Google, Facebook-WhatsApp, Apple, Amazon, Flipkart, MakeMyTrip-Goibibo, Swiggy and Zomato.

    The meeting also comes against the backdrop of mounting concerns globally, including in India, about alleged practices of big tech players and technology platforms that could be adversely impacting competition in the market place.

    About the meeting, the panel’s Chairman Jayant Sinha told PTI that it had “an excellent set of discussions” with officials from the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and Competition Commission of India.

    “In our next hearing (on this issue), we will be calling most of the major tech companies to hear their perspective and how competition law in India is evolving to address the needs and challenges associated with digital space. All of the major companies we are going to invite. Google, Apple, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, Microsoft and others. Competition laws is evolving across the world to meet the challenges associated with the digital markets,” Sinha said.

    Sinha, a BJP leader and a former Union minister, said the panel will discuss about competitive behaviour of these companies.

    According to sources, BJP member CM Ramesh raised the issue of cartelisation among cement companies with the CCI officials and their response on the matter is expected in the next meeting. Besides, the panel discussed about the existing competition law.

    According to Sinha, the CCI Act was initiated in 2002 and last amended in 2007.

    A bill to amend the Act is also underway wherein provisions are likely to be introduced to deal with anti-competition practices of tech giants, CCI told the panel.

    “It has been 15 years since substantial amendments have been made to our competition law.”

    “With the rise of digital markets and the importance of the digital economy for the India’s economic growth and global position, it is very important to look at our competition law to see whether it is the equal to those in the advanced jurisdictions like the European Union, United States, Australia and United Kingdom,” Sinha said.

    According to him, today’s discussions were to assess how the competition law is evolving and what else is required to position it for the future.

    “We as a committee are examining what direction our competition law should evolve to meet these requirements,” he noted.

    In the presentation, CCI also said that it was strengthening its institutional capacity, recalibrating the competition law regime, observing global developments in big tech and monitoring technological developments in digital markets.

  • Jennifer Lopez to back series on New York’s Barbizon Hotel

    By Express News Service

    Hollywood actor Jennifer Lopez will produce a series titled Backwards in Heels about the infamous Barbizon Hotel for Amazon. Oscar nominee Richard LaGravenese will write and direct the show. The story follows the timeless stories of the glamourous women living at the Barbizon Hotel in post-WWII New York City.

    Barbizon, located on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, was a female-only residential hotel for young women who came to the city looking for opportunities. The 23-story hotel, built-in 1927, was a blend of Italian Renaissance and late Gothic revival and Islamic decorative elements.

    No men were allowed above the ground floor till 1981 and strict rules regarding conduct and dress were enforced. A few famous guests to grace the hotel included Lauren Bacall, Betty Buckley, Joan Crawford, Rita Hayworth and Grace Kelly.

    Lopez, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, and Benny Medina will produce the series under their Nuyorican Productions. Julie Goldstein is also producing. David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Bill Bost will produce for Skydance TV. 

  • Amazon, Future talks have failed, Amazon lawyer to Supreme Court

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: US e-commerce giant Amazon on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that there were talks for settlement between Amazon and Future Group but there has been no headway in the mediation proceedings on the assets of Future Retail Ltd (FRL).

    A bench of Chief Justice of India NV Ramana and Justices AS Bopanna and Hima Kohli was informed by senior advocate Gopal Subramanium, who was appearing for Amazon, that even as the top court had ordered to keep hands off, FRL stores “have been taken over” by Reliance.

    “Nothing can happen through conciliation, we tried but nothing can happen,” Subramanian told the bench.

    He also complained that even when proceedings are pending before different forums the FRL shops “have been taken over by Reliance and not only has Reliance taken over, it has also come in public disclosure”.

    “When an order was passed by Emergency Arbitrator, Reliance had made a filing with stock exchange to say that they will enforce their obligations as far as the Future Group is concerned,” Subramanium said.

    The senior advocate further submitted that he doesn’t don’t want a message to go that orders of court can be happily flouted.

    Senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for Future Group, submitted that no assets have been transferred and the stores have been taken over by Reliance. He said that not a single store has been surrendered, Reliance came and overnight removed the boards as law permits.

    “We have been saying from day one that Amazon is driving us to our knees, they have done it, we are broke. We have no money to fight it,” he added.

    Salve submitted that Future Group has been unable to pay the rent for over two years and the landlords are therefore terminating its leases.

    “We had no money to pay them, which is what we have been telling all forums. Reliance signed up with the landlords. We were in no position to pay. Rents have not been paid for two years. We are broke, we have no money,” Salve added. He further said the shop takeover started 15 days ago.

    “We have no control if Reliance is acting outside this litigation. Reliance is taking over and we can’t do anything. We haven’t signed anywhere. In fact, Biyani went and protested.”

    Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi appeared for Future Coupons Limited. The apex court said it will hear arguments further on Wednesday.

    On March 3, Amazon proposed before the Supreme Court to have an informal dialogue with the Future Group to settle the ongoing dispute between the parties amicably.

    Amazon.com NV Investment Holdings LLC and FRL are embroiled in a legal fight over FRL’s Rs 24,713 crore merger deal with Reliance Retail.

    Amazon has been opposing the Future group’s decision to go ahead with the merger deal of FRL with Reliance Retail. It got the Emergency Award of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) in its favour which restrained Future group from going ahead with the merger deal.

  • Amazon turns off Prime Video in Russia, halts product shipments to country

    By IANS

    LOS ANGELES: Amazon has joined the growing number of businesses suspending commercial activities in Russia in the wake of the country’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine.The e-commerce giant said in a statement that it is cutting off access to Prime Video for customers based in Russia, given “the ongoing situation in Russia and Ukraine.” Amazon said it also has ceased shipment of retail products to customers in Russia and Belarus and said it will no longer be taking orders from Russian customers for its video game “New World,” the only game the company sells directly in the country, reports variety.com.In addition, the company will no longer be accepting new Russia- or Belarus-based customers for its AWS cloud computing services, nor will merchants in those countries be accepted as Amazon third-party sellers.”As a reminder, unlike some other U.S. technology providers, Amazon and AWS have no data centers, infrastructure, or offices in Russia, and we have a long-standing policy of not doing business with the Russian government,” the Seattle-based company said in a statement released March 8.

    ALSO READ | UK sanctions Russians, including Abramovich According to Amazon, it has continued to partner with several non-governmental organisations to support “the immense humanitarian needs in the region.” The company said it donated $5 million to support people affected by the war and it has continued to match employees’ donations; to date, more than 10,000 Amazon employees have donated to the effort.According to Amazon’s homepages, “tens of thousands of customers around the world” have also made donations to benefit Save the Children and the Red Cross on the ground in Ukraine, according to the company.

  • Amazon unveils first teaser of ‘Lord of the Rings’ prequel series at Super Bowl

    By ANI

    WASHINGTON: The first teaser for Amazon’s ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ has finally arrived during the Super Bowl, giving a first good look at the upcoming prequel series, which brings the world of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth to life.

    The minute-long teaser for the show, which has been set thousands of years prior to Peter Jackson’s six feature films adapted from Tolkien’s novels, opens with footage that shows a closer look at Middle Earth, as a voice asks, “Haven’t you ever wondered what else is out there?”

    The words appear to be spoken by a harfoot, an ancient ancestor of hobbits, played by Markella Kavenagh. Further, icy mountains, ravaging storms and dangerous monsters are all teased in the captivating new footage.

    Amid these shots of scenic spectacle, there are glimpses of young versions of two familiar elven characters from Jackson’s movies, Galadriel and Elrond, as well as new characters for the series such as a dwarven princess named Disa and an elf.

    According to E! News, ‘Rings of Power’, which reportedly had a budget of over USD 450 million for its first season, is sure to expand the Lord of the Rings world we’ve come to know and love.

    WATCH

    As the title already gives it away, this show will shed light on the forging of the rings. Showrunner Patrick McKay told a magazine, “Rings for the elves, rings for dwarves, rings for men, and then the one ring Sauron used to deceive them all. It’s the story of the creation of all those powers, where they came from, and what they did to each of those races.”

    As per The Hollywood Reporter, the ensemble cast includes Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Maxim Baldry, Nazanin Boniadi, Morfydd Clark, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Charles Edwards, Trystan Gravelle, Sir Lenny Henry, Ema Horvath, Markella Kavenagh, Joseph Mawle, Tyroe Muhafidin, Sophia Nomvete, Lloyd Owen, Megan Richards, Dylan Smith, Charlie Vickers, Leon Wadham, Benjamin Walker, Daniel Weyman and Sara Zwangobani.

    The debut season of the show will premiere on September 2 and will air in 240 territories around the world. New episodes will be rolled out on a weekly basis. 

  • MP cops file FIR against sellers over tricolour-themed products on Amazon

    By PTI

    BHOPAL: Police on Tuesday evening registered an FIR in Bhopal against unidentified sellers on e-commerce giant Amazon after it emerged that some products, including shoes, featuring images of the Indian flag were being sold on its platform in contravention of rules, an official said.

    The action came hours after Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra said the government has directed the police to register an FIR against officials of Amazon and its owner for allegedly selling products with images or imprint of the tricolour on them.

    Amazon faced the ire of a section of Indian social media users over merchandising some products, including apparel and food items, that feature images of the Indian flag, with some saying that using the tricolour in such a way was an insult and a violation of the country’s flag code.

    “It has come to my notice that our national flag is being used on products being sold by the online e-commerce platform Amazon. It (the national flag) has been used on shoes. This can not be tolerated,” Mishra, who is the state government spokesman, told reporters here.

    Prima facie, it is a violation of the National Flag Code, he said.

    “I have directed the Director General of Police (DGP) to file an FIR against Amazon’s officials and owner,” Mishra added.

    In the evening, Bhopal police’s Crime Branch registered a case against unidentified sellers on the Amazon platform on the basis of a compliant filed by a city resident.

    “Following a complaint, Bhopal’s Crime Branch has registered an FIR under section 2 of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Act and section 505 (2) of the Indian Penal Code (related to public mischief) against unidentified sellers on Amazon and taking further steps,” Bhopal Police Commissioner Makrand Deuskar told PTI.

    The FIR, quoting the 26-year-old complainant, said the unidentified sellers have posted products, including T-shirts, mugs and shoes with the national flag printed on them on Amazon, which has hurt the sentiments of countrymen and insulted the tricolour.

    This is not the first time that the MP home minister has directed the police to take legal action against Amazon.

    Last November, Mishra had ordered the filing of an FIR against officials of Amazon over the suicide of a youth from MP who allegedly obtained poisonous sulphas (used as an agricultural fumigant and is poisonous) tablets through the e-commerce site.

    In another instance, the police in Bhind district had registered an FIR against unnamed officials of Amazon India after busting a gang that allegedly supplied ganja under the guise of selling stevia (a natural sweetener) through the e-commerce portal.

    Amazon had on Monday said it remains committed to take necessary action against sellers who may have listed any non-compliant products.

    Amazon.in is an online marketplace where third-party sellers offer products for sale directly to customers, and as such is responsible for ensuring compliances associated with the sale of these products, it said.

    “We require all products offered on the marketplace to comply with applicable laws and constantly take appropriate action on non-compliance. Amazon remains committed to taking necessary action against sellers who may have listed any non-compliant products,” the company said.