Amazon Announces Amazon Video Direct, Giving Video Providers a Self-Service Program to Reach Amazon Customers, Including Tens of Millions of Prime Members
Creators and storytellers from around the world can now make their
videos available to customers as part of Prime Video and earn royalties
based on hours streamed
Videos can also be made available to rent or own, to view free with
ads, or packaged together and offered as an add-on subscription
Customers in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Austria and
Japan now have access to new movies, TV shows, docu-series and music
videos from content creators
The Amazon Video Direct Stars program also launches today, giving
video providers the opportunity to earn a monthly bonus based on
customer engagement
SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–(NASDAQ:AMZN)—Amazon today announced an enhancement to Amazon Video:
introducing Amazon Video Direct (AVD), a new self-service program for
creators and storytellers to make their video content available to
Amazon customers, including tens of millions of Prime members. Amazon
Video is the only streaming service to offer customers unlimited access
to tens of thousands of movies and TV episodes, including award-winning
Amazon Original Series, through Prime Video; monthly subscriptions
to SHOWTIME, STARZ, and more; and hundreds of thousands of titles
including new-release movies and current TV shows for rent or purchase.
With AVD, starting today, video providers have flexible self-service
options for distributing their content:
-
Included in Prime Video at no additional charge to tens of millions of
Prime members -
Available as an add-on subscription through the Streaming Partners
Program - Offered as a one-time rental price or a one-time purchase price
- Available to all Amazon customers ad-supported
Specific benefits of Amazon Video Direct include:
-
Access to Amazon’s most engaged streaming audience—video
providers can distribute their content directly to tens of millions of
Prime members and earn royalties based on minutes streamed -
Choice of how to share titles—video providers can
utilize the different options Amazon Video uses to share content to
customers -
Expanded customer reach—video providers can choose to
make their titles available in any country where Amazon Video is
available—the United States, Germany, Austria, United Kingdom and
Japan; with support for all the devices Amazon Video is available
on—Fire TV, Fire and other iOS and Android tablets, connected TVs,
game consoles, iOS and Android phones, and laptops -
Insightful performance metrics—video providers are given
performance metrics, such as number of minutes a title was streamed,
projected revenue, payment history, or number of subscribers, so they
can optimize the way they offer and promote content to customers;
video providers have full control and the flexibility to make changes
based on these metrics
“It’s an amazing time to be a content creator,” said Jim Freeman, Vice
President of Amazon Video. “There are more options for distribution than
ever before and with Amazon Video Direct, for the first time, there’s a
self-service option for video providers to get their content into a
premium streaming subscription service. We’re excited to make it even
easier for content creators to find an audience, and for that audience
to find great content.”
Also launching today is the AVD Stars program, which gives video
creators a share of one million dollars per month based on customer
engagement with their title. Here’s how the program works: Amazon will
distribute to creators a monthly bonus from the one million dollar
monthly fund, based on the Top 100 AVD titles in Prime Video, in
addition to any other revenue earned. Video creators and providers who
use AVD to make their titles available in Prime Video will automatically
be enrolled. The AVD Stars program launches today and the one million
dollar monthly fund will make its first bonus distributions based on
streaming activity from June 1st to June 30th.
“We are thrilled to bring a selection of our premium original series,
including Emmy nominated Vanity, to one of the premiere
ad-free subscription services,” said Mia Goldwyn, Chief Content Officer,
StyleHaul. “We believe Amazon Prime members will enjoy the unique female
voices featured in our content and be inspired by the fashion and beauty
that our brand embodies.”
“Amazon Video Direct helps us reach fans of our beloved preschool
brands, including classic Thomas & Friends, Barney & Friends,
Angelina Ballerina, Fireman Sam and Pingu, and get
the content in front of Prime members faster than ever and into new
territories,” said Andrea Carpenter, Senior Director, Global Content
Marketing and Distribution, Mattel. “The upload and publishing
process is easy and fast, and we can directly monitor our streaming
performance through our online dashboard.”
“As a major, independently owned and operated motion-picture company,
we’re excited to have the ability to distribute our films to Amazon
customers around the globe,” said Peter Goldwyn, President of Samuel
Goldwyn Films. “With Amazon Video Direct, we have the control to create
the unique distribution strategies that reflect the changing ways in
which our audiences discover our films. We can seamlessly make all our
movies like Hyena Road, Somm: into the Bottle, Havana Motor Club,
available to watch when and where our audiences want them. With Amazon
Prime Video we have found an amazing home for films like The
Benefactor with Richard Gere and Takeshi Miike’s Yakuza
Apocalypse.”
AVD launch partners include: Conde Nast Entertainment, HowStuffWorks,
Samuel Goldwyn Films, The Guardian, Mashable, Mattel, StyleHaul, Kin
Community, Jash, Business Insider, Machinima, TYT Network, Baby
Einstein, CJ Entertainment America, Xive TV, Synergetic Distribution,
Kino Nation, Journeyman Pictures, and Pro Guitar Lessons. Content from
these providers can be found now on Amazon Video.
To learn more about Amazon Video Direct, visit http://videodirect.amazon.com.
Content creators and storytellers can start distributing their premium
content today.
About Amazon Video
Amazon Video is a premium on-demand entertainment service that offers
customers the greatest choice in what to watch, and how to watch it.
Amazon Video is the only service that provides all of the following:
-
Prime Video: Thousands of movies and TV shows, including
popular licensed content plus critically-acclaimed and award-winning
Amazon Original Series and Movies from Amazon Studios like Transparent,
The Man in the High Castle, kids series Tumble Leaf and Chi
Raq, available for unlimited streaming as part of an Amazon Prime
membership -
Add-on Subscriptions: Dozens of subscriptions to networks like
SHOWTIME, STARZ and more, available to Amazon Prime members as add-ons
to their membership -
Rent or Own: Hundreds of thousands of titles, including
new-release movies and current TV shows available for on-demand rental
or purchase for all Amazon customers -
Instant Access: Instantly watch anytime, anywhere through the
Amazon Video app on TVs, mobile devices, Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV
Stick, and Fire tablets, or online. For a list of all compatible
devices visit www.amazon.com/howtostream -
Premium Features: Top features like 4K Ultra HD, High Dynamic
Range (HDR) and the only streaming service to offer mobile downloads
for offline viewing
In addition to Prime Video, the Prime membership includes unlimited Free
Two-Day Shipping on millions of items across all categories, more than
one million songs and thousands of playlists and stations with Prime
Music, early access to select Lightning Deals all year long, free
secure, unlimited photo storage in Amazon Cloud Drive with Prime Photos,
access to borrow books with the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library, and
more. To sign-up for Prime or to find out more visit: www.amazon.com/prime.
About Amazon
Amazon.com opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995. The company is
guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor
focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and
long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized
recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct
Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are
some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more
information, visit www.amazon.com/about.
Contacts
Amazon.com, Inc.
Media Hotline, 206-266-7180
Amazon-pr@amazon.com
www.amazon.com/pr
