On a recent episode, we told you about how the current Internet infrastructure in the United States may not be able to handle demand once more users embrace Netflix’s streaming service.
Our next story shows how much sooner the Internet could “break.”
Amazon has decided to jump into the arena of streaming content. The on-line retailer is reportedly looking into a streaming service to rival Netflix, reports the Endgadet blog. According to the report, the service would be bundled with the Amazon Prime membership currently offered. For $79 a year, users can get unlimited two-day shipping under the current plan. No word yet on if the pricing model might go up.
Reports indicate the service was rolled out on the Amazon site briefly over the weekend and indicated that there would be content from BBC America and PBS. The information has since been removed.
A screen shot showed the following text, reports Endgadget.
“Your Amazon Prime membership now includes unlimited, commercial-free, instant streaming of 5,000 movies and TV shows at no additional cost,” the screen shot, which featured the film The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest, said.
“The link quickly disappeared, so we don’t know if it was a real video service in progress, a test, or vaporware,” Lazard Capital Markets analyst Barton Crockett said. “Still, the possibility that this is real is a provocative statement of how Amazon could become Netflix’s first meaningful streaming competitor.”
Indeed, the bundled offer “highlights the potential for Amazon to “superset” Netflix, or offer Netflix’s core streaming feature as part of a more valuable, broader package,” Crockett argued. “Amazon Prime includes free shipping for purchases and costs $79 per year, versus a Netflix streaming-only sub at $95.88.”
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