Ayanna Lonian

Ayanna Lonian is currently a Director of Content Acquisition and the Head of the Worldwide Major Studio Licensing & Strategy Team for Amazon’s Prime Video streaming service. In this role, she leads a team responsible for negotiating global content licensing agreements with major US studios and TV network groups for SVOD streaming rights. She also oversees Prime Video Direct (PVD) globally and manages the acquisition of locally produced Nigerian/Nollywood and South African content for Prime Video in sub-Saharan Africa. Prior to Amazon, Ayanna was on the content distribution team for The Walt Disney Company’s Disney and ESPN Media Networks (DEMN) division, negotiating deal terms for domestic distribution of content across various linear TV and digital platforms. Before Disney, she was part of the Corporate Planning team at The New York Times Company, performing valuation and due diligence for corporate acquisitions. She also worked as a researcher at Forrester Research, analyzing the impact of emerging technologies on media and entertainment, and in a product management role for Africana.com, where she was part of the original team that built the platform from the ground up.