J
Justin Herrick
Guest
Amazon may soon be going toe-to-toe with Hulu and other video streaming services in a whole new way. According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, Amazon plans on offering an alternative to paying $99 per year for Amazon Prime that would allow video content to be streamed without any subscription. The service would be backed by advertisements. On the surface, this competes directly with Hulu, but there is much more under the surface.
The actual content would include both television shows and music videos. The music video aspect would be incorporated to the Amazon shopping experience. Apparently a search for an artist’s CDs will also cue some of their music videos. This aspect of the service would actually make it a competitor to YouTube.
Just how much of Amazon’s licensed content will be available is unknown. But Amazon’s own content is surely part of the service. The Wall Street Journal was told that the creator’s of Amazon’s exclusive “Betas” show have been contacted about being a part of the new service. This new video streaming service could launch in a few months; however, there is always the chance that Amazon ditches the idea.
Where things get a little interesting to me is that Amazon is slated to announce its set-top box next week. The invitation suggests an update will be given about the current state of Amazon’s video business. Is this service going to make a cameo appearance next week and get introduced? We shall see.
Update: An Amazon spokesperson released a statement regarding the matter. She said “We have a video advertising business that currently offers programs like First Episode Free and ads associated with movie and game trailers, and we’re often experimenting with new things, but we have no plans to offer a free streaming media service.” So it does not look like Amazon will be doing a free video streaming service after all. But who knows, that could easily change in the future, right? Even an Amazon smartphone has been denied in the past. Yet rumblings continue to surface about that.
Source: The Wall Street Journal
Come comment on this article: Amazon prepping free video streaming service that could launch in a few months [Updated]
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