Amazon confirms deal for Viacom video streaming
updated 11:40 am EST, Wed February 8, 2012
Amazon now offers Viacom content, library at 15K+
Amazon on Wednesday officially confirmed earlier rumors that it has inked a deal with cable provider Viacom to bring its TV shows to Amazon's Instant Video streaming service. As part of the deal, Amazon will allow customers to access thousands of episodes from MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, TV Land, Spike, VH1, BET, CMT, and Logo. This will include past seasons of shows like Chappelle's Show, Hot in Cleveland, Jersey Shore, Yo Gabba Gabba, and iCarly, among others.
The total video library will now grow to over 15,000 offerings. Disney, Fox, NBC, and Sony are already providing content to Amazon.
Amazon Prime costs $79 per year and also includes two-day shipping of DVDs, aping the early Netflix business model. Compared to Netflix, which is a larger, but key rival, the service is somewhat less expensive. Netflix costs $96 per year, but is available on a monthly basis.
