Showtime, Starz Among Charter Members of the Retail Giant's Bid to Supplant Cable Providers
Making a direct play to TV cord-cutters, Amazon today added premium video content tiers to its Amazon Prime service.
Headlined by Showtime and Starz, the Streaming Partners program will see Amazon managing subscriber acquisition, billing and customer service, and content delivery for a range of content providers. Members will be offered short free trials of all subscriptions, and new episodes will be available for viewing simultaneously with their broadcast, the company said.
Pricing varies depending on the content provider. For example, a monthly subscription to Showtime or Starz will run users $8.99 after a seven-day trial period, while a subscription to wildlife documentaries from Smithsonian Earth or comedy performances from Comedy Central Stand-Up Plus runs $3.99/month. Other partners at launch include Lifetime Movie Club, The Ring TV, AcaciaTV, Screen Junkies, and Docurama. At press time, Amazon listed 30 separate content subscriptions.
"The way people watch TV is changing, and customers need an easier way to subscribe to and enjoy multiple streaming subscriptions," said Amazon VP of Digital Video Michael Paull in a prepared statement. "With the Streaming Partners Program, we're making it easy for video providers to reach highly engaged Prime members, many of whom are already frequent streamers, and we're making it easier for viewers to watch their favorite shows and channels."
The Streaming Partners Program is a premium tier of content that sits on top of Amazon's existing Prime Video service, which is included at no additional charge with Amazon Prime membership. Among Amazon's Prime Video offerings are its own original series, including Transparent and The Man in the High Castle, as well as content from HBO and other providers. Amazon has also redesigned the Amazon Video homepage to highlight the new content available.
What makes Amazon's play for the burgeoning market of cable cord-cutters a real concern to competitors like Netflix and Hulu is that it has a built-in audience of comfortable, loyal users to pitch the subscriptions to — as many as 50 million Amazon Prime members in the U.S., according to some estimates. Amazon has a real shot at gaining solid market share quickly, making the business of OTT delivery more competitive when it comes to pricing and customer service.
But the move also represents an opportunity for content owners, who may have a powerful new partner to approach when it comes time to monetize their content, especially as Amazon looks for an ever-broader array of content to entice users to look to them as a one-stop-shop for streaming programming.
