Amazon on Tuesday rolled out a new streaming video service aimed squarely at market leader Netflix. Marketed as part of the preexisting Amazon Instant Video, the service is free to Amazon's best customers, those who enroll in the company's Amazon Prime service.
Amazon Prime provides customers with free two-day shipping at a cost of $79 per year. And while that's already an enticing offer for heavy Amazon buyers—Amazon claims "millions" of subscribers—Instant Video access is an interesting addition. Netflix's cheapest offering, for $7.99 per month, provides streaming-only access but works out to be about $20 more per year than Amazon Prime.
If you just want the video access it as if the $79 per year cost is just a $6.58 a month charge. Tying it in with Amazon delivery means for heavy Amazon buyers it's a freebie!!
According to Amazon, Instant Video currently has more than 5,000 movies and TV shows available, but one issue compared with Netflix is accessibility. Whereas the Netflix streaming service is nearly ubiquitous and available from dozens of different devices, including HDTVs and devices that connect to HDTVs, Amazon Instant Video is currently available on Windows PCs and Macs as well as a growing collection of set-top boxes and other devices. But it's not as widespread as Netflix—at least not yet.
Not as rich a selection as netflix, but still ...
Netflix shares fell almost 6% following the announcement
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
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