Amazon to cut “several hundred” jobs across MGM Studios & Prime Video

The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power (Source: Prime Video)

Amazon is planning to cut “several hundred” jobs across MGM Studios and streaming service Prime Video following a year-long review of the business.

The layoffs were announced by Mike Hopkins, SVP at MGM Studios and Prime Video, in a memo to staff today, who said that the company needs to “prioritise our investments for the long-term success of our business” amid recent upheavals that are causing the industry to “evolve quickly.”

Hopkins said that the company has 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 organisation.”

Employees facing redundancy are to be told shortly, with those in the Americas to be informed by this morning (Pacific time) and most other regions by the end of the week.

Hopkins said that it had been “a difficult decision to make and one that my leadership team and I do not take lightly. It is hard to say goodbye to talented Amazonians who’ve made meaningful contributions on behalf of our customers, team and business.”

Prime Video is behind original programming including The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power, The Boys and its spin-off Gen V, Reacher and The Wheel Of Time.

These latest cuts at the streamer and studio operations follow around 100 layoffs in June 2023, which saw execs including Tracey Lentz, former head of creative for unscripted TV at Amazon Studios, exiting the company. They came amid a wider cutback across the retail giant that saw more than 27,000 staff made redundant across its entire business last year.