Priyanka Chopra's Rs 2,000 crore 'Citadel' comes under scrutiny of Amazon CEO: Report

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Priyanka Chopra Jonas-Richard Madden starrer "Citadel", one of the most expensive series in TV history. Ever since "Citadel" debuted, it has failed to make into 10 most-watched streaming programs in the US in any week, the report said, citing Nielsen. Amazon had launched its Hollywood studios division in 2010 and later added to the film and TV programming push by acquiring MGM Studios for $8.45 billion last year.

Recently, Amazon CEO asked executives for detailed budget analyses of some of their biggest shows to scrutinize the studio’s ballooning costs and mixed track record with audiences, Bloomberg reported. Last year, according to the report, Amazon spent $7 billion on original shows, licensed programs and sports, up from $5 billion the year before. Many tech companies, including Amazon, have eliminated thousands of jobs this year.

Amazon in March had announced plans to 9,000 more jobs, adding to the 18,000 employees the tech giant said it would lay off in January. Like other tech companies, including Facebook parent Meta and Google parent Alphabet, Amazon ramped up hiring during the pandemic to meet the demand from homebound Americans that were increasingly buying stuff online to keep themselves safe from the virus. Apart from «Citadel», the other shows that are under scrutiny include Daisy Jones & the Six, The Power, Dead Ringers and The Peripheral, all of which cost more than $100 million each to produce but failed to crack Nielsen’s list of the 10 most-watched streaming programs in the US.

Even The Rings of Power, which reportedly cost over $400 million plus, is part of that list. Global spy thriller Citadel, starring Priyanka Chopra, reportedly cost more than $250 million or Rs 2,000 crore for one season. In this