Amazon Rolls Out Instant Streaming for 'Prime' Members
Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) on Tuesday announced its highly-rumored video-streaming service for customers subscribing to its Amazon Prime service. Subscribers can now access 5,000 TV shows and movies instantly and commercial-free, according to Amazon.
Boasting titles including, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," "March of the Penguins," and "Syriana," Amazon said users can view TV shows and movies on their PCs, Macs, as well as several models of Blu-ray players and set-top boxes.
Amazon Prime gives customers unlimited two-day shipping on items from the retail site for a flat rate of $79 per year.
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Tech site Gizmodo pointed out that the selection of video content is on the low side at the moment, but there are "interesting" movies available. It also said it's difficult to navigate through titles on the site.
Netflix Vice President of Corporate Communications Steve Swasey told FOX Business Netflix doesn't disclose the number of titles it offers for streaming, but said, "it's thousands and thousands, more than you can watch in a lifetime."
However, what sets Amazon apart from competitors like Hulu Plus and Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) is how it's bundled with its Prime service, which works out to cost roughly $6.58 per month, cheaper than the offerings of those and other competitors.
This might also help Amazon on the retail side, as it could prove to be more convenient for customers having this included free two-day shipping than paying extra on competitor retail sites.
