Amazon Prime Video is shaking up its leadership, expanding the role of sports and advertising chief Jay Marine to oversee all U.S. operations while appointing former U.S. head Albert Cheng to lead a new division focused on artificial intelligence. The move signals a major push to integrate AI deep into the creative process at Amazon MGM Studios.
Twin priorities: The restructuring is driven by a need for organizational efficiency and the race to harness AI, according to an internal memo from Amazon MGM Studios head Mike Hopkins. He stressed the need for "flatter orgs and single threaded leaders" and pointed to the "lightning-fast speed at which AI is augmenting and accelerating the way we work" as a key catalyst for the changes.
A tale of two execs: The new structure puts Amazon veteran Jay Marine in charge of the entire U.S. Prime Video business, which he will run alongside his global sports and advertising divisions. Cheng, who joined from Disney, will now lead the charge to build new AI tools with the goal of empowering "the very best filmmakers and showrunners to do their most innovative work in AI," according to the memo.
Amazon is framing the reorganization as more than just a backend tune-up, with Hopkins writing that the initiative has the "potential to deliver an entirely new kind of storytelling to customers." As Amazon staffs up for an AI-driven future in Hollywood, rival Netflix has been busy publishing its own generative AI guidelines for producers. The executive shuffle also comes just days after Prime Video announced new bundling options with FoxOne and Wonder Project, signaling a broader strategic push on multiple fronts.
