iptv news_news 07/03/2014 08:32 Page 5
Amazon merges Prime
and LOVEFiLM
mazon has combined its Amazon
Prime and LOVEFiLM Instant
subscription services in the UK.
Amazon Prime offered members unlimited
One-Day Delivery on over seven million items
and access to 500,000 Kindle books to borrow. LOVEFiLM Instant included unlimited
streaming of more than 15,000 popular
movies and TV episodes.
As LOVEFiLM Instant becomes Prime
Instant Video, Amazon is increasing its investment in exclusive content and original programming only available through Prime.
“We’ve worked
hard to offer the best
selection of TV shows
and movies for Prime
Instant Video—in
fact, we’ve more than
tripled [the] selection since LOVEFiLM
became p art of the Amazon family,” said Tim
Leslie, VP of Amazon Instant Video for the UK
and Germany. “We also added high definition
video and introduced apps for popular devices
like Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Samsung and
Sony TVs and iPads and iPhones. Customers
who love movies and TV will love Amazon
Prime Instant Video.”
“Millions of customers in the US have
streaming video included as part of their
Prime membership and they tell us they love
the combination of unlimited delivery, the
ability to borrow Kindle books, and convenient
access to thousands of the most popular
movies, TV shows and exclusive videos,” said
Greg Greeley, vice president of Amazon Prime.
“We are delighted to be bringing that same
combination of services to the UK, providing
members truly unique benefits they can enjoy
every day of the year.”
According to Richard Broughton, director
of broadband at IHS Technology, Amazon’s
move could be motivated by a number of factors:
A
l Heavy competition in the UK subscrip-
DoJ backs networks
in court case
The US Department of Justice has
come out in support of the major TV
networks in their forthcoming
Supreme Court case against Internet
TV streaming service Aereo. In a brief
filed with the Court, the DoJ contends
that Aereo is “clearly infringing” on
12 IP television
tion video-on-demand market: LOVEFiLM
has faced intense competition in the sector,
with the entrance of Netflix and NowTV,
and the expansion of Sky, Virgin Media
and BT’s on-demand services. This move
by Amazon will allow the company to alter
consumer perceptions of its streaming
offer, sidestep direct competition with subscription video rivals and bolster uptake of
the Amazon Prime subscription service.
l A desire to duplicate the US success of
Amazon Prime: Amazon had accrued
more than 20 million Prime subscribers
worldwide by the end
of 2013 – the vast
majority in the US.
Amazon achieved significant growth in this
market last year with
Amazon Prime, in part due to its strong
video content line-up via Amazon Instant
Video in North America. Replicating this
success in the UK and Germany, with
video as a key pillar supporting Prime,
will help to sustain Amazon’s wider retail
business.
l The ability to offer a one-stop-shop for
digital media: Amazon is already the leading ebook service provider globally and
reinforced its UK and German music
offerings with the launch of AutoRip in
2013. Alongside the relaunch of its subscription online video service, Amazon
will begin to provide download-to-own
and video-on-demand rental films – similarly to services such as iTunes and
Blinkbox. By bringing its video content
offer under the core Amazon brand alongside books and music, the online retail
giant is attempting to position itself as the
hub for digital entertainment in both the
UK and Germany, encourage uptake of its
Kindle Fire tablets and use its device and
media presence to further strengthen its
e-commerce lead.
the copyrights of the major broadcasters by picking up their free, overthe-air TV signals and streaming
them over the Internet.
According to the brief, Aereo “transmits copyrighted broadcast programs
to the public, without the authorization
of the copyright holders, and is therefore liable for infringement”. The hearing is set for April 22.
The Force is
with Netflix
An exclusive licensing agreement with
The Disney/ABC Television Group is
bringing Star Wars content to Netflix
streaming members for the first time.
The highly-anticipated sixth and final
season of the Emmy Award-winning
series Star Wars: The Clone Wars
débuted exclusively to Netflix members
in the US and Canada in March.
Accompanying the 13-episode new
season dubbed The Lost Missions will be
the entire Star Wars: The Clone Wars
saga, which includes several director’s
cut episodes never seen on TV as well as
the feature film. This multi-year agreement also makes Netflix the exclusive
subscription service for the entire Star
Wars: The Clone Wars series.
Ted Sarandos, Netflix chief content
officer, noted that the series joins a long
line of Disney content that Netflix members are and will continue to enjoy for
years to come, and that The Clone Wars
marked an important moment as Netflix
welcomes more and more first-run
content from The Walt Disney Company
and its subsidiaries.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars is the first
time any Star Wars content has been
available for Netflix streaming members.
The deal follows a recent announcement
from Netflix and The Walt Disney
Company to bring multiple original
series based on Marvel characters to the
service in 2015. Netflix will be the exclusive US subscription television service
for first-run, live-action and animated
movies from the Walt Disney Studios
including titles from Disney, Walt Disney
Animation Studios, Pixar Animation
Studios, Marvel Studios, Disneynature
and Lucasfilm beginning in 2016. Netflix
members can currently enjoy a wide
range of Disney, ABC Entertainment
Group and Disney Channel films and TV
shows across the 41 countries where
Netflix operates.