Link

Amazon Launches Video Streaming Service for Prime Members

Amazon Launches Video Streaming Service for Prime Members

With 5,000 movies to start it’s not the most impressive collection, but the library will surely grow over time as Amazon strikes deals with additional studios.

Brilliant to pair it with Prime–the Amazon program that lets you pay $79/year for free 2-day shipping, which makes it hard for a consumer to buy from anybody BUT them–and use it to drive membership, finally giving freeloading friends & family members (like me) who’ve been using someone else’s Prime benefits a reason to enroll themselves.

Link

Amazon.com going into movie producing with new website, first look deal with Warner Bros

Amazon.com going into movie producing with new website, first look deal with Warner Bros

From the L.A. Times’ Company Town:

Amazon.com is launching Amazon Studios, a new website that lets users upload scripts and sample movies and then use community tools to evaluate and edit each others’ work. Work judged the best by a panel of experts and company executives will be brought to Warner Bros, where Amazon has signed a first-look deal, in hopes of ultimately producing feature films under the Amazon Studios production label.

Headlines

QUESTIONS THAT NEED ANSWERING:  1.) Is there really a ’Civil War Times Magazine’? Are there that many new events, photos, or writings related to the Civil War that necessitate continued coverage in regular magzine form?  2.) Pictured above: Should we be alarmed that it is currently the 37th biggest gainer on Amazon’s magazine subscription list, ahead of […]

Read more
Link

The Race for the Second Screen (Redux)

The Race for the Second Screen (Redux)

Apple: Apple TV box currently plays videos purchased with iTunes on a TV set; wants to offer 99-cent rentals of new TV shows, making big announcement today and stream it live on Apple.com.

 Amazon.com: Sells on-demand videos playable on set-top boxes and TVs; wants to offer unlimited viewing of older TV shows and movies for subscribers, expected to make announcements this week.

Netflix: Online streaming service lets subscribers play older TV shows and movies on media players and game consoles, expected to be a part of Apple’s announcement today.

Google: Google TV software seeks to merge TV and Web programming on TVs using various hardware, set to debut in time for this holiday season.

Hulu: A paid subscription service will offer new episodes of many TV shows on Internet-connected TVs and other devices like PS3s and XBOX360s.