Amazon is ready to launch a streaming video service to compete head-on with Netflix in the US. Subscribers to their Amazon Prime unlimited DVD rental service will also be able to stream new movies and TV shows, reports US blog Engadget.
At a time when DVD sales and rentals are under pressure from online video services, Amazon has been rumoured to either start a competing service to Netflix or buy the competitor outright. By accident, a reader of Engadget found a screen shot advertising the possible new service. It read: “Your Amazon Prime membership now includes unlimited, commercial-free, instant streaming of 5,000 movies and TV shows”.
Meanwhile, Amazon has taken down the promotional message and refused to comment on the matter. Amazon already sells and rents movies and TV shows on their online service, but so far does not offer these on a subscription basis.
The Amazon Prime service for physical DVDs costs $79 (€57) a year and after adding online streaming would compete with Netflix’s Watch Instantly, which costs $95.88 (€69).
