US online retail giant Amazon.com has claimed that video streams on Prime Instant Video nearly tripled year over year. According to a report from Qwilt, which tracks growth in online video usage, Amazon has now passed both Apple and Hulu in streaming video usage. However, Amazon did not disclose the actual number of video streams nor how many people access Instant Video.
“We’ve invested hundreds of millions of dollars in great TV shows and movies for Prime members and it’s working,” said Bill Carr, VP of Digital Video and Music for Amazon. “As part of their membership, Amazon Prime members can watch their favorite movies and television shows on an unlimited basis, and as we add original content like Alpha House, Bosch, The After, Mozart in the Jungle and Transparent, we have no doubt that customers will be even more delighted with the selection available. And now, with Fire TV, customers have the easiest way to access this content.”
According to Amazon, Prime Instant Video offers a long list of exclusive and original content available only to Prime members for instant streaming at no additional cost to their Prime membership. The constantly expanding selection of exclusive hit series includes Downton Abbey, 24, Orphan Black, The Americans, Justified, Hannibal, Workaholics, Grimm, Under the Dome, Veronica Mars and many others. Prime Instant Video also offers an exclusive collection of kids’ shows from Nick Jr. that customers won’t find on any other online-only subscription service, including favorites like SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer. In addition to unlimited streaming of tens of thousands of Prime Instant Video titles as part of their Prime membership, Amazon customers can also choose from more than 200,000 titles to purchase or rent from Amazon Instant Video, including movies like American Hustle, 12 Years a Slave, Gravity, Dallas Buyers Club, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Frozen; and day-after broadcast TV shows like The Walking Dead, Scandal, Pretty Little Liars and The Blacklist.
Just last week, Amazon introduced $ 999 Fire TV, that plugs into HDTV for easy and instant access to Netflix, Prime Instant Video, Hulu Plus, WatchESPN, SHOWTIME, low-cost video rentals, and much more. Fire TV also brings photos, music, and games to the living room.
