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Amazon, already a power player in the streaming space with their twin VOD (Amazon Video) and SVOD (Prime Video) offerings, is making a bold move to increase their stature. Today, the company unveiled a new over-the-top streaming option for Prime members called Streaming Partners Program, which allows current Prime Video members to add premium channels Showtime and Starz, among dozens of other subscription services, for an additional fee.
Amazon’s latest streaming innovation is a clear shot across the bow at its chief competitors Netflix and Hulu, the latter of which partnered with Showtime over the summer. Amazon, like Hulu, is offering its subscribers a chance to get access to Showtime’s originals and movie library for an additional $8.99/month, but only Amazon is offering access to the red hot Starz network (home of Outlander, Power, Flesh And Bone and Ash Vs. Evil Dead, among others). That a la carte access will also cost you an additional $8.99/month.
To be clear, there isn’t a separate device you need to purchase. If you have an Amazon Fire TV or stream Amazon Video through a console like Roku or XBOX, Streaming Partners Program options will be available as an add-ons. In addition to the aforementioned Showtime and Starz access, dozens of other over-the-top streaming apps including Acorn TV, Shudder, DramaFever, and SundanceNow Doc Club are available, too, at prices ranging from $2.99 to $6.99 per month.
With this move, it seems Amazon is positioning themselves as a worthy competitor not just to rival SVOD (Subscription Video On Demand) services like Hulu and Netflix, but also to cable companies themselves. After all, now they are starting to provide their Prime subscribers the same diversity of programming options that your Comcasts and Time Warners of the world offer. It’s also important to remember that Amazon has been a longtime partner with HBO, making it a company that now has ties to the three most influential premium cable players (note: HBO Now is not available as part of Streaming Partners Program at launch).
This new Prime video strategy is not without its short term flaws, though; the primary one being no access to live sports. To that end, don’t rule out a possible distribution relationship with Sling TV. Knowing Amazon, though, you can bet that they’re going straight to Bristol to negotiate in an attempt to cut out those (literal and figurative) middlemen in Denver.
Basically, it boils down to this. If anyone can build a better bundle, it’s Jeff Bezos.
[Start your free Streaming Partners Program trial today, only on Amazon]
