They have smartly leaned into this demographic, turning social media sensations and international bestselling romance novels, like Culpables trilogy and Maxton Hall, into must-watch, multi-generational spectacles. This is more than just content acquisition; it’s a calculated strategy turning the passion of devoted readers, like those obsessed with Mercedes Ron’s steamy dramas, into record-breaking, borderless viewership.

To celebrate the international success with young adult audiences, Prime Video invited select media to attend their first global retreat in Ibiza, where talent from the Culpable’s saga, Dímelo Bajito and Marfil joined Ron onstage. Also joining them on stage was Mia Jenkins, Pepe Barroso Silva, and Luca Melucci from the English-language Italian Original romance Love Me, Love Me and Franco Masini, one of the leads of the Argentinian series Amor Animal. 

The showcase featured exclusive first-look images, clips and panel discussions that offered insights into each project and their characters.

There’s no doubt that authors like Mercedes Ron and Jenny Han are the architects behind reviving the character-driven romances like the Culpables films (the most watched international original for the streamer) and The Summer I Turned Pretty series. As Ron noted in an interview, audiences were craving stories where the heroines weren’t just passive figures: “I really wanted a strong female character that can make mistakes and that can ride a car and win a race.”

This commitment to flawed relatability is central to the appeal, asserts the Prime Video executives. Nicole Morganti, Head of Southern Europe Originals, noted, “It’s important to not create these heroes here… the young audience wants to see themselves in the characters.” By focusing on intense, universal trials like heartbreak, school drama, complex relationships, they are ensuring stories connect across age groups, making them a “treat to be in that world.”

Prime Video’s deep integration with the Amazon retail ecosystem gives it an edge in sniffing out literary trends before they peak. This means adaptations launch not to a cold audience, but to an already mobilized, vocal and passionate fanbase.

Morganti described book adaptations as a “gem” because the audience is “ready to go now.” The strategy is clear: secure the IP, be true to the essence of the story and characters, and the audience will follow. This minimizes the risky overhead of building viewership from scratch.

“Maxton Hall was a huge book in Germany nowhere else, but because you had that base there. They started talking about it. Once the adaptation news came out, it became a huge thing, now it’s translated into more than 25 languages, there’s something quite powerful about that,” she added.

The streamer is proud of the unparalleled success of non-English language YA content achieving worldwide dominance – a feat few other streamers have managed at this scale. The Spanish-language Culpables franchise is the definitive proof point. Tara Erer, Head of Northern Europe Originals, pointed out the stunning audience skew: over 90% of viewers are tuning in from outside of Spain. This massive international resonance confirms that high-quality, specific storytelling resonates globally.

This is further cemented by Amazon’s massive investment in authors like Ron, resulting in the “House of Ron” deal – a commitment to 10 film adaptations that continue to expand this global universe. Prime Video is actively demonstrating that the next global phenomenon doesn’t need to be U.S.-centric; it just needs to travel well.

“The incredible response to our International Original shows proves there’s no such thing as a border when it comes to great storytelling,” said Nicole Clemens, VP and head of International Originals. “It’s a testament to the power of authentic stories, and we’re proud to be a home for creators whose work is captivating audiences everywhere.”

The streamer is now placing an international bet on Italian project Love Me, Love Me. The film is an adaptation of the first novel in a trilogy from Stefania S., published on Wattpad and which has notched 19 million reads.

Mia Jenkins, the star of the series, said in an interview: “I love the fact that a lot of these stories are really female led and female driven. It’s kind of by women, for women.”

Even the international actors are excited to be welcomed into global homes. Masini, who leads the upcoming Argentinian series Amor Animal said in an interview: “I think for Argentina, it’s really nice to make the show global and be in other countries. I think Argentina has really good work, has really good casts, actors and directors and all the stuff is amazing. So I think in Amor Animal, we really work with the best ones.”

Ultimately, Prime Video’s strategy is paying off by treating YA literature not as a niche, but as a global IP goldmine. By championing authentic and flawed protagonists like Noah from the Culpables series, and by banking on international productions that already possess a massive readership, the streamer has successfully built a content ecosystem that transcends geographical borders and they don’t plan to stop anytime soon. They’ll have  anew title every month: Starting in October with Culpa Nuestra, followed Maxton Hall in November, Dimelo Bajito in December, then Sigue Mi Voz in January, followed by Love Me, Love Me, Marfil and Perfectos Mentirosos, which is the biggest IP ever on Wattpad with 130 million readers.

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Published by HOLR Magazine