Amazon Announces Increased Prime Instant Video Selection for Kindle Fire and Prime Customers by Expanding Digital Video License Agreement with PBS.
Here is what Amazon said today:
SEATTLE, Oct 19, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) —
Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) today announced an expansion of a licensing agreement with PBS Distribution that will allow Amazon Prime members to instantly stream, at no additional cost, current and archived PBS programming. This will bring the total number of Prime instant videos to 12,000 by the end of this year, more than doubling the Prime instant video title count since its launch. Amazon Prime members can enjoy this selection on over 300 different devices, including the recently announced Kindle Fire–the Kindle for movies, TV shows, music, magazines, apps, books, games, and more. Kindle Fire customers enjoy a free month of Amazon Prime right out of the box.
Prime members will have access to more than 1,000 episodes of popular PBS television, which will roll out on the service over the next several months. PBS titles will include NOVA, Masterpiece and Antiques Roadshow, along with the Ken Burns series of documentaries featuring The Civil War, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, Baseball, Jazz and the acclaimed new series Prohibition, which premiered on PBS stations earlier this month. Prime instant video will also offer popular PBS news programs with day-after air availability from shows like Frontline and Washington Week. Beginning in early November, and for the first time ever on digital video, PBS brings Prime members 200 episodes of The French Chef with the world renowned Julia Child.
“Prime instant video has included great content from PBS since the day it launched and Prime members have told us they want even more – so we are delivering,” said Brad Beale, director of video content acquisition for Amazon. “Our expanded relationship with PBS will bring the total number of titles available for Prime instant video to over 12,000. We are committed to bringing Prime Members and Kindle Fire owners even more compelling content very soon.”
“Expanding the reach of our content by making it accessible through digital platforms is a key priority for PBS,” said Jason Seiken, Senior Vice President, PBS Interactive, Product Development and Innovation. “We are already delivering more than 150 million streams of programming across web and mobile apps each month, so we are excited to offer more titles through Prime instant video and ensure that our acclaimed content is available whenever and wherever people want it.”
About Prime Instant Video
Prime instant video is a benefit for paid Amazon Prime members. Prime members get unlimited, commercial-free, instant access to more than 12,000 movies and TV shows at no additional cost. Since the launch of Prime instant videos, Amazon has secured licensing deals from partners such as CBS, Fox, PBS, NBCUniversal, Sony, Warner Bros and many more.
About Amazon Instant Video
For customers who are not Prime members, or who are looking to instantly purchase or rent movies and TV shows, Amazon offers Amazon Instant Video. Amazon Instant Video is a streaming video service that provides more than 100,000 titles including new release movies, TV shows the day after they air, as well as contemporary and classic videos in SD and HD. Customers can instantly watch movies and TV shows from Amazon Instant Video or Prime instant video on a Mac, PC or directly on a TV with any of the 300 compatible devices, including the new Kindle Fire.
About Prime
Amazon Prime is an annual membership program for $79 a year that offers customers unlimited Free Two-Day Shipping on millions of items including books, home and garden products, electronics, video games, clothing, and much more. Amazon Prime members also get access to unlimited instant streaming of more than 12,000 popular movies and TV shows with Prime instant videos. Customers who receive free Prime shipping benefits through our Amazon Student and Amazon Mom programs can upgrade to an annual paid membership to receive Amazon Prime’s digital benefits.
