Jordan O'BrienAmazon will soon integrate movie and TV show listings from other providers according to a report by Bloomberg Business. This would help Amazon distinguish itself from Netflix which is moving away from third party content to focus more on those made in-house.
The new feature will supposedly feature landing pages for other video companies appearing inside Prime Instant Video. That means users in the UK could access ITV Hub, All 4 and BBC iPlayer directly from Amazon’s interface.
It’s an odd move for Amazon to make as it could risk alienating some prime customers. Some online services offered in the US from the likes of CBS and Starz cost money – meaning Amazon customers may have to cough up a little more cash every time they see a programme they’re interested in that is not available as part of their prime membership.
Despite that, Amazon is seeing this as a money-making opportunity for both content providers and itself. Subscribers will be able to add their other subscriptions to Amazon’s database, while those without subscriptions elsewhere could buy them through special packages offered by Amazon.
The feature will reportedly go live as early as next month, although a spokesman for Amazon declined to comment when asked.
While Amazon’s video library will grow exponentially versus Netflix’s constantly dwindling third party offerings, the Amazon Fire TV could have the most to gain with this deal.
In the US Apple’s new TV is currently the darling of the media world; HBO, CBS and other network providers are all keen to have their Apps on the service. The downside? Users need to go in and out of Apps to access content – something Amazon could eliminate with this offering.
Amazon is not planning to disguise content from other services however. According to people with knowledge of the matter, the retail giant plans to prominently display its partners’ branding alongside their content.
Amazon is keen to boost its TV and movie offering for its customers with competition in the marketplace growing day by day. Alongside these rumoured new offerings, Amazon is also reportedly working on a live TV service to take on standard cable and satellite. It is understood that the company is hoping to beat Apple to market – which is also in discussions with content creators over an internet-based streaming TV service.
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