Amazon rumoured to be adding third-party network support to Prime
One jungle, lots of juicy telly
Binge watch series 1. Binge watch series 2. Binge watch series 3. Binge watch…oh, series 4 only just happened. Why isn’t it on Prime?
It’s a frequent crushing phenomenon for avid viewers of Amazon’s Prime Instant Video collections, a consequence of content producers needing to retain some commercial advantage in making their own telly shows before licensing them to the ‘Zon a few years down the line.
Sadly, it also means switching platform to fulfil your penchant for Peep Show, as the latest episodes are streamed on All4 alone. Until now.
According to partners on the inside, speaking to Bloomberg, Amazon could be adding in-Prime support for external streaming and subscription services before the year is out.
From TV catchup to major movie makers, the Netflix rival is said to be offering the on-demand option to Prime customers, meaning they could add channels to their accounts as well as selecting prepackaged paid bundles of Amazon’s own creation.
No more would one need to fire up another app or site to source specific shows: in a two-fingered salute to its competitors, offering cable-like customisation could see Amazon soar in the streaming stakes as it becomes the most complete package on the market.
What to watch › The 35 best things on Prime Instant Video
Though a company spokesman kept his lips tightly sealed on the veracity of such features, some sources suggest they could be arriving as soon as next month – just in time for a festive flick tie-in.
With Fire TV already featuring services not of Amazon’s making, an expansion into cross-brand entertainment could firm up its foundations in the streaming slug-fest.
Though the new combo offering would lack live telly – something that the Washington giant has, in any case, expressed interest in developing – the concept is that users could log into an array of services directly through Amazon’s Instant Video interface, making it the hub for their home entertainment, with third-party programming sitting alongside Prime material.
Sure, it’s suggested that landing pages would differentiate sources and Prime would likely take preference – given that Amazon’s proudly produced the goods to tempt millions to purchase an annual sub – but it’s hard to imagine networks saying no to a slice of the super subscriber pie.
When there’s more news on this, you know exactly where to find it. That’s here, in case you didn’t.
Source: Bloomberg
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Chris Rowlands
Freelance contributor 
