Amazon says no video subs beyond Prime in near future
updated 01:50 pm EST, Fri February 10, 2012
Amazon not making changes to its Prime model soon
Amazon won't split its streaming video service from Prime Instant Video in the near future despite rumors to the contrary. Brad Beale, Head of Digital Video Content Acquisition at Amazon, said during a Wednesday interview with GigaOM that this is unlikely to happen anytime soon. Previously, a letter to shareholders from Netflix CEO Reed Hastings mentioned that he expects Amazon to introduce a service that would undercut its own.
"The bundle of benefits that come with Amazon Prime make perfect sense to offer to customers," Beale said. Prime offers free, two-day shipping on any purchased or rented items from Amazon in addition to the streaming video for $79 per year.
Amazon currently offers more than 15,000 streaming titles, including movies and TV shows, with a recent bump thanks to a recently-inked deal with Viacom. They are older releases, but for newer content, there are over 100,000 physical DVDs available to rent or buy.
