With the proliferation of subscription streaming channels, user-generated platforms and free ad-supported services, there’s a strong likelihood you’re jumping from app to app on your TV. Amazon wants to eventually be the single place where you can go to access all of these services.
“Our mission is to be a place where customers can find all their video entertainment under one roof, whether that is content produced by us or by other studios, content from our partners such as Paramount+, HBO Max, Starz and BritBox, accessible through Prime Video Channels, or titles to rent or buy via our TVOD Store,” Kelly Day, vice president of international at Prime Video, said last month during a media event in Indonesia, as reported by Deadline.
That Amazon wants to be your one-stop shop for all streaming content isn’t new — the company has steadily added access to other services like those from Paramount and Warner Bros Discovery onto its own platform — but the notion has become more critical with so many different services available. Cord cutting has meant moving from channel surfing on a TV guide menu to app surfing, jumping between different platforms and then looking at the different channels or list of movies and shows within.
In short, it’s gotten a lot more complicated to find what you want to watch, or even discover new programs.
Day said Amazon is focused on “delivering a very personalized experience,” which may help with finding new content.
She noted that Amazon offers a single bill, which simplifies the myriad of different subscriptions many viewers are signed up for, and sees it as an antidote to “subscription fatigue,” which she said is very real.
The challenge with this idea, however, is that not every streaming player is going to watch to play nice with Amazon. Netflix for instance, isn’t likely to appear on Amazon’s Prime Video portal any time soon. Google’s YouTube TV, meanwhile, probably isn’t going to integrate into Prime Video either.
So even with the best of intentions, consumers will still have to switch between apps.
Day also addressed Amazon’s plans to roll out ads to its Prime Video service, with customers expected to pay a premium to go ad free. She said that nine countries will be in the first wave to get ads.
“We think it’s going to be a great way for us to be able to keep prices low and keep delivering that value,” she said.