Amazon Prime Instant Video - News & Updates

[TheBigDave]

Looks like Amazon is going to try out UltraViolet. I don't know much about UV. I wonder how this will affect their Instant Video store.

Amazon Gets on Board With UltraViolet Movie System

An Amazon.com executive said Tuesday that the retailer has signed a deal with a Hollywood studio to sell movies that can be downloaded from an online "locker" system five studios have put together.

The extent of Amazon.com Inc.'s support of the UltraViolet online locker system is unclear. But the deal signals that Amazon is at least open to trying it. Studios are hopeful that UltraViolet is attractive enough to consumers that they keep buying movies rather than renting, which is less profitable for studios.

If Amazon fully joins the system, it would hugely boost UltraViolet's chance of becoming a mainstream technology.

FULL ARTICLE - http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012...t.html?_r=2&hp

[TheBigDave]

Amazon is offering $10 Instant Video credit when you trade-in $25 worth of Blu-rays and DVDs.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/browse/ref=...ode=1265183011

They have to receive the shipment by January 23rd.

Complete your trade-in (including receipt and verification by Amazon.com) no later than 11:59 pm (PST), January 23, 2012.

[b2net]

Glad to see that back. I missed the last offer.

[TheBigDave]

Looks like these are the Weekend Sale titles - $1.99 (SD) and $2.99 (HD)

The Guard
Monte Carlo
Water For Elephants
The Devil's Double

Friends With Benefits (SD) is $0.99 tonight.

[TheBigDave]

The first episode of NBC's new show Smash is available for FREE:

SD - http://www.amazon.com/Pilot/dp/B006Y5BWQG/
HD - http://www.amazon.com/Pilot/dp/B006Y5EMHM/

[TheBigDave]

Here's the Weekend Sale titles - $1.99 (SD) and $2.99 (HD)

The Help
Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark
Last Night
Another Earth

[TheBigDave]

I noticed this quote in a Wired article about Netflix:

Netflix’s CEO Reed Hastings and CFO David Wells reveal that they “expect Amazon to continue to offer their video service as a free extra with Prime domestically but also to brand their video subscription offering as a standalone service at a price less than ours.”

FULL ARTICLE - http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2012/...ix-q4-results/

I don't know if they have some inside info, or if they're just guessing. But it sounds like a good idea to me.

[SomethingMore]

I agree. I'm hesitant to pay for Prime because I can't take advantage of the shipping (being in Canada, the shipping discounts don't apply to me), but I could still use the streaming (thanks to a DNS-routing service).

[b2net]

Free Today....


Unsupervised Season 1, Ep. 1 "Pilot"
HD http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006ZUA3HY
SD http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006ZTZQPE

Unsupervised Season 1, Ep. 2 "Rich Girl"
HD http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0072C8N9O
SD http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0072C8JHA



Touched Season 1, Ep. 1 "Pilot"
HD http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0071UYKG2
SD http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0071UYQH0

[TheBigDave]

Here's more info on Amazon turning Prime Streaming into a standalone service:

Amazon looking into taking on Netflix

Jeff Bezos and his team at Amazon are weighing a move to beef up the Web retailer’s video-streaming service — possibly carving it out as a standalone, subscription-based operation, industry sources told The Post.

Such a move, if undertaken, would set the retail behemoth in the same competitive orbit as Netflix. Currently, Amazon’s Instant Video comes free with Amazon Prime, the $79 unlimited shipping service.

“They’re looking into it being a standalone subscription service,” one content executive said. A second exec noted they believe Amazon is chewing over a possible charge.

The Internet retailer does have a paid video-on-demand movie and TV service — but the streaming service would be different.

“The big issue is their bundled media service,” said one digital media executive. “The subscription service, with the goodies being free video, is contractually an issue for the licensers.”

Tinseltown talent doesn’t like being a loss-leader for Amazon shipments of everything from diapers to digital devices.

Word that Bezos may be looking to add muscle to its video service comes nearly one year after Amazon launched Instant Video last February. In July, Amazon paid CBS around $100 million for 2,000 hours of TV shows. It then followed up with deals for Fox content such as “Arrested Development,” and with Disney and NBCUniversal.

The company has had little to say in recent months, however, though one source said that Amazon was “refreshing its checkbook.”

Amazon has been paying fees that are based on the number of subscribers. Amazon Prime has 7 million to 8 million subscribers, analysts estimate. Netflix, which reports fourth-quarter results today, has 20 million streaming subs globally.

Paul Verna, senior analyst at eMarketer, said: “Amazon is aggressively pursuing the same content strategy as Netflix and is spending a lot upfront to try to secure exclusivity. They won’t always get it, but they need to differentiate themselves.”

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/busines...b7mhUO3sczFbuM

If they drop the Free Streaming, I hope they at least offer a steep discount for Prime members. I'm not sure I'd pay much for their current offerings. But if this enabled them to get more/better content that's not currently on Netflix, then I wouldn't mind.

However, if they want to compete with Netflix, they need to get on more devices. I've got 7 devices with Netflix, but only 2 that do Amazon streaming. They also need to work on the user interface. People put up with the current UI because the service is free. But when Amazon starts charging, customers are going to expect more.

[Shannon Nutt]

Amazon can just start charging $6.66 per month for their streaming service and make FREE PRIME part of that monthly service. Problem solved. You're welcome, Mr. Bezos.

[Todd B.]

No, because then people would sign up for just one month of streaming (+ Prime) in December for their Christmas shopping, and they'd get screwed.

[Shannon Nutt]

Originally Posted by Todd B.

No, because then people would sign up for just one month of streaming (+ Prime) in December for their Christmas shopping, and they'd get screwed.

Then put in a qualifier...you have to be a member for three months before you're eligible for Free PRIME.

[b2net]

Today's Freebies



Bering Sea Gold Season 1, Ep. 1 "Paydirt"
SD http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0072QWP3A




Remodeled Season 1, Ep. 1 "A Latte To Learn"
HD http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006Z5VE2W
SD http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006Z498U8

Remodeled Season 1, Ep. 2 "Modeling School or Modeling Agency"
HD http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0071ID2Z4
SD http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0071IDXB2

Remodeled Season 1, Ep. 3 "The Gummy Bear"
HD http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0074FV7RY
SD http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0074FVA1M

[b2net]

Today's Freebies


How to Rock, Ep. 1 "How to Rock Braces and Glasses"
HD http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0076IU4AA
SD http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0076IUB1W


FRED: The Show, Ep. 1 "Love Potion"
HD http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0076N3RAE
SD http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0076N3JZM

Bunch of other Sneak Peeks ... but I will attempt to list only full episode listings... and btw.. if you order the HD, you get the SD also...

[DJariya]

Amazon just announced they added Viacom shows to Prime Instant Video.

[JCWBobC]

From the Amazon home page:

Dear Customers,

We just wrapped up another deal — this time bringing in content from MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, TV Land, and VH1 — to add 2,000 new titles to Prime Instant Video. Together with the existing movies and shows from CBS, Fox, Disney-ABC, PBS, NBC, Sony, and Warner Bros., we now offer, at no additional cost, unlimited instant streaming of more than 15,000 titles.

We’re adding something for the family with Nickelodeon favorites like Avatar: The Last Airbender, Dora the Explorer, iCarly, and Yo Gabba Gabba. We’re adding comedy with titles like Chappelle’s Show, The Sarah Silverman Program, Strangers with Candy, and Hot in Cleveland. And we’re adding reality TV with several past seasons of The Real World, Basketball Wives, and Jersey Shore.

[TheBigDave]

Looks like Amazon has no plans to spin-off it's Free Prime Streaming into a standalone service. They consider it a loss leader that will boost overall sales across their entire site.

Amazon: No plans to launch a standalone video service soon

Brad Beale, Head of Digital Video Content Acquisition at Amazon, said in an interview Wednesday that the company is unlikely to break out the video subscription offering anytime soon. “The bundle of benefits that come with Amazon Prime make perfect sense to offer to customers,” Beale said. “The way that Prime Instant Video is offered today — we’re going to continue that approach at least into the near future.”

Even before adding the video component, Beale said that Prime was an incredible value. The offering provides free, two-day shipping to customers who pay an annual $79 subscription. We’ve believed for a while that adding video could entice some customers to sign up for Amazon Prime who might otherwise not have — and once they’ve paid the annual subscription fee, they’re likely to take advantage of the free shipping. In that sense, video could be seen as a loss leader for driving more physical retail sales.

There’s also the fact that having a free subscription service could help boost transactional sales through Amazon’s VOD and electronic sell-through offering. While Prime Instant Video has 15,000 titles for free viewing, it doesn’t have many of the latest new release films or in-season TV episodes. For newer content, Amazon offers more than 100,000 titles for rental or purchase. So an Amazon user who got hooked on older seasons of Downton Abbey or Sons of Anarchy on the free service might convert to being a paid user to watch the current seasons of those shows.

As Amazon adds content, it’s also looking to boost awareness of what’s available on the service. That includes placement of a letter from Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on the site’s homepage, letting the millions of users who stop by every day know what new content is available from Amazon Prime. That kind of promotion is driving awareness and usage, Beale told me. As more customers learn what’s available, and as Amazon continues to improve the offering with even more content, he expects customer adoption to grow even more.

FULL ARTICLE - http://gigaom.com/video/amazon-no-st...video-service/

Here's some analysis from Wired:

Amazon’s Prime Directive: No Standalone Subscription Video For Now

Ultimately, Amazon has an interest in bundling these services, whether streaming video, lending libraries or two-day shipping, trumps its need to make a profit on every deal. It’s about promoting the full range of its wildly diverse ecosystem as a single product.

Amazon has exactly as much interest in securing regular shoppers as Target, monthly active users as Facebook, devoted superfans as Apple, and complimentary services as Google.

Remember Amazon’s long play with the Kindle Fire:

"The Kindle isn’t a book. It’s a bookstore. The Kindle tablet extends that principle further, by making it a retail portal and showcase for everything Amazon sells, whether physical or virtual."

Amazon could try to blow away Netflix on content, by making a deal with Starz or HBO. Instead, they’ll try to blow them away on price, offering mostly identical streaming content plus additional value-added services for a lower annual cost.

The more you stream television shows from Amazon Prime, the more tempted you are to buy and download movies from Amazon Instant Video that aren’t on Prime. The more lending library books you read on a Kindle, the more books you buy on the Kindle. The more you use one Kindle, the more tempted you are to buy another Kindle device — if not for yourself, then for the rest of your family. And if Amazon finally really does sell a 9-inch Kindle Fire, then you’ll do even more reading and watching and shopping on that.

Finally, you’re an Amazon customer in an Amazon household — especially if all of those services help encourage you to buy more goods shipped in two days or less.

FULL ARTICLE - http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2012/...ndalone-video/

[SomethingMore]

Does Amazon offer any sort of a "queue" system like Netflix Instant Queue?

[davidh777]

No, they really need to get a queue system and some console penetration

[TheBigDave]

Their user interface is awful. Outside of a Search, there's no good way to find what you're looking for.

To make matters worse, they sometimes have multiple listings for the same title. There are separate entries for Rated, Unrated, Director's Cut, HD, SD, etc.

[SomethingMore]

Yeah, I've seen some of that nonsense in the Roku app, but I don't use it that much since I'm not a Prime member.
I was just hoping they had fixed some of these (relatively simple) UI issues.

[Heat]

I was watching a CNET video about Amazon Prime (on the CNET channel through Roku) - they are saying that Amazon Prime now has about as many titles as Netflix Streaming, and that this plus the upcoming Redbox / Verizon Streaming venture, Netflix will soon be history.

I'm happy with Netflix for now, lots of TV Shows to watch (about finished with Sons of Anarchy and am about seven episodes into Friday Night Lights with my son). But Amazon Prime is looking good - maybe by the fall or next spring I'll switch.

[whotony]

Netflix will soon be history.

[Texan26]

Originally Posted by Heat

I was watching a CNET video about Amazon Prime (on the CNET channel through Roku) - they are saying that Amazon Prime now has about as many titles as Netflix Streaming, and that this plus the upcoming Redbox / Verizon Streaming venture, Netflix will soon be history.

Where are they getting their numbers? Just looking at horror titles, Netflix has 729 titles listed while Amazon only has 144 titles. The other genres are that off also. Netflix still easily surpasses Amazon.