Amazon Keeps Pace with HD Streaming Rivals
Online retailer Amazon.com, Inc. now offers direct streaming of HD TV shows and movies through its Amazon Video On Demand service. Customers can purchase HD episodes of TV shows and rent HD movies through the service.
Consumers can obtain access to Amazon’s HD content streaming service through Roku digital video players, several HD models of TiVo DVRs, the Sony Bravia Internet link, and Panasonic Viera Cast-enabled HDTVs. Movie rentals cost between $3.99 and $4.99 and TV shows, which are also accessible via Macs, PCs and compatible devices, cost $2.99 per episode.
By making content available through HD devices, Amazon is keeping pace with its two biggest rivals in the streaming of entertainment content: Blockbuster and Netflix. Blockbuster recently partnered with TiVo to make downloaded movies available for rental and purchase via TiVo devices, including HD models. Starting in the second half of this year, rentals will cost $1.99 to $3.99 and purchases will cost $14.99 to $19.99.
Netflix, which has publicly announced intentions to focus on its streaming service, offers downloads of movies and TV shows through HD devices including Xbox 360 gaming consoles, LG Blu-ray players, and HD TiVo models. Netflix charges customers monthly access fees rather than fees per title and only offers content for rental.
Amazon reported consolidated net sales of $19.17 billion in fiscal 2008, a 28% increase from fiscal 2007.