Amazon is testing a $7.99/month Prime membership to help it compete against Hulu+ and Netflix’s monthly streaming video plans. The option is only available to some users for now, and if you go to the Prime signup page, you may not see the offer. Read more »
The third quarter saw many parts of the traditional media business in flux. Other developments included the rollout of new device-based content ecosystems, red flags and red ink for traditional consumer electronics makers, and a resurgence of consumer purchases of movies. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Amazon is expanding the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library, which allows Kindle-owning Prime members to borrow one ebook for free each month, to the United Kingdom, Germany and France. The move comes at a time when Amazon is heavily promoting its self-publishing program in Europe. Read more at paidContent »
Amazon shared a few facts about Amazon Prime, which offers unlimited two-day shipping and other perks for $79 a year. The company won’t state how many members Prime has, but says it ships more items with Prime than with its basic free shipping option. Read more at paidContent »
Amazon Prime Instant Video and NBCUniversal expanded their content licensing agreement to include new shows like “Friday Night Lights,” “Parenthood” and “Battlestar Galactica.” Read more at paidContent »
Amazon disappointed investors with its second-quarter earnings Thursday, reporting plunging profits and results below Wall Street expectations. The company reported $12.83 billion in revenue, up 29 percent over last year but missing estimates of $12.9 billion, and predicts an operating loss for Q3. Read more at paidContent »
Deal brings the Aaron Sorkin-penned political drama The West Wing and the Fox sci-fi/fantasy series Fringe exclusively to members of Amazon’s Prime Instant Video service, as well as purchasers of its Kindle Fire tablet Read more at paidContent »
Cloud-based storage and cross-device syncing of media content are two of the most competitive areas in consumer IT. Apple, Google and Amazon see cloud-based media services both as a way to increase attachment to their platforms and a means to extend and amplify their broader strategic goals. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The deal adds movies and TV shows from one of Hollywood’s most essential content libraries, including Moonstruck, Silence of the Lambs, Rain Man and Thirtysomething. Amazon has now licensed 18,000 movies and TV episodes for its subscription streaming service. Read more at paidContent »
The adoption of tablets, social media and new interfaces and the changing nature of the TV itself mean the digital living room will continue on its path of rapid change, thanks to new ways of creating, viewing, bundling, distributing and selling content. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Many self-published authors are still turning to literary agents to sell foreign rights to their books. In a move that could cut some agents out, Amazon now allows those authors to distribute their print books through European Amazon sites for free. Read more at paidContent »
Analysts don’t know how many Kindle Fires have been sold any more than you do. Sometimes, though, they do cool stuff like an analysis (PDF)… Read more at paidContent »
Wal-Mart is looking to use its leverage in Hollywood to accelerate the movie industry’s move to cloud-based storage and digital commerce. In the process, it could steal a march on other providers of cloud-based media lockers like Apple, Google and Amazon, whose platforms to date are ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN) Prime has three to five million members, according to “people familiar with the matter” cited Bloomberg. The main thrust… Read more at paidContent »
Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN) is cutting back “Amazon Mom,” a Prime-like program that gives parents and caregivers big discounts on baby supplies and… Read more at paidContent »
The Netflix streaming app is now available on over 800 different devices, which is nearly double the number of devices that the app was on only six months ago. Yet for all that growth, Netflix is suddenly looking vulnerable in mobile video as new competitors with ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
As Amazon adds more content to Prime Instant Video, some expect the company could create a standalone service to compete with Netflix. But Digital Content Acquisition Head Brad Beale said Amazon will stay focused on the Prime bundle, at least in the near future. Read more »
Amazon continues to add content to its Amazon Prime Instant Videos service. It announced a deal with Viacom that will bring the number of titles available to more that 15,000, or three times the amount of content it launched the service with. Read more »
Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN) says unit sales of print books grew by “double digits” in Q4 compared to last year. That “is impressive given the shift… Read more at paidContent »
Selling dollar bills for 99 cents apiece is a tough business, and you can’t make it up on volume, so what steps Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN) (AMZN) t… Read more at paidContent »
Netflix may have had some troubles keeping its customers on board, but streaming usage has nonetheless been growing: The company’s CEO Reed Hastings revealed during an investors conference Tuesday that Netflix is now streaming “well over a billion hours” to its subscribers per quarter. Read more »
On Wednesday, Amazon introduced color screens and touch screens to its Android-powered Kindle lineup. With this, Amazon brings a combination of three critical elements to the tablet marketplace that no company — not even Apple — has matched: a full product line, a powerful business ecosystem and a unique combination of revenue streams. How will it compete in the tablet, video and online media spaces? This research note examines the prospects at hand. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
New evidence has turned up suggesting Amazon will roll out a subscription streaming video service tied to users’ Amazon Prime accounts. By offering such a service, the retailer is not just taking on Netflix, but creating an incentive for those viewers to buy more stuff. Read more »
