Rumor has it that Amazon is planning to drop a bombshell on the streaming market in the near future, one that will not only affect Netflix, but the online television service that Apple is supposedly working on as well. According to Bloomberg, Amazon will soon allow Prime Instant Video subscribers to add other movie and television channels to their subscription package, as well as pre-packaged bundles that Amazon itself has created.
Amazon.com Inc. will soon let viewers of its Prime Instant Video service tap into other on-demand networks, according to people with knowledge of the plans. Prime customers will have the option of adding other online subscriptions to their accounts, including major, well-known movie and TV channels, and Amazon will also sell prepackaged bundles of its own creation, said the people, who asked not to be identified or disclose the names of the partners because the plans are private. They said the new feature may go live as soon as next month. The appeal of others’ programming may help lure new customers to Amazon Prime as it competes with Netflix Inc. and Hulu LLC. The new feature would mark the next evolution in the online giant’s approach to home entertainment, combining its expertise in retail with its growing investment in video. Prime Instant Video would resemble something between a cable-TV subscription, though without live programming, and the online array of video offered through devices from Roku Inc., Apple TV or Amazon’s own Fire TV.
Amazon will feature videos from the added services within Prime, along with its own original shows and licensed programming, and include its partners’ branding as well, the people said.
Those on-demand networks will now be available in one place. Amazon will manage customer relationships for major media companies the way pay-TV services do, according to the people. The Seattle-based company is also working on technology that would permit users to directly log into other streaming services using Amazon credentials.
