A BRIEF LOOK AT AMAZON PRIME INSTANT VIDEO AND OTHER STREAMING SERVICES:
THE STREAM
More Americans are watching TV by streaming video on PCs, tablets and phones or via set-top boxes such as Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV or Roku. Netflix is the leading paid streaming service, with about 53 million subscribers worldwide, including 38 million in the US. Amazon is second, with an estimated 24 million Prime subscribers using its video service, compared with Hulu's six million paid subscribers, according to Forrester Research. Amazon offers original programming such as Transparent, which stars Jeffrey Tambor as a transgender parent to three grown children, and thousands of other TV shows and movies, including older HBO programs such as Six Feet Under and The Sopranos. The service is available mainly to Prime members in the US, UK, Germany, Austria and Japan.
PRIMING VIEWERS
Amazon Prime Instant Video is available free for members of Amazon's $US99 ($A107) annual Prime program. The Seattle company's strategy has been to invest in services for its Prime members to grow its membership base, because members generally spend more. Services such as free two-day shipping and discounts on grocery and same-day delivery have helped attract an estimated 40 million Prime members (the company does not disclose the total figure). Amazon says it gained 10 million more subscribers in the December holiday period.
CONTENT IS KING
Amazon Studios original content is an increasingly important but still relatively small part of the streaming service. Transparent has been its most high-profile series, but it has also released Mozart in the Jungle, which stars Gael Garcia Bernal as a classical music conductor. The success of Transparent, along with Netflix shows such as House of Cards and Orange is the New Black have proven that viewers will watch original content on streaming services. Amazon Studios, which began producing original programming in 2010, has also begun offering viewers a chance to vote on pilots to determine which shows it develops. The latest batch, which began streaming on Thursday, includes pilots of 13 original comedy, drama, documentary and children's shows.
