After a few years of deconstructing video entertainment into dozens of individual streaming sites, we’re beginning to see a trend toward re-bundling of those services. Hulu sells access to Showtime, Sling TV offers streaming HBO, and now a new report claims that Amazon Prime will soon be offering one-stop shopping for other streaming video companies.
This is according to Bloomberg, which reports that Amazon is looking to start offering these third party services as soon as next month.
Amazon Prime already includes access to a limited library of HBO content at no extra cost, though it’s only a fraction of what you’d find on HBO Go or HBO Now. The company’s Fire streaming devices for TVs have apps for competing services like Netflix, Starz, and Hulu, but most of these subscriptions have to be purchased through a cable company or directly from the streaming sites.
Bloomberg reports that the change to Amazon would bring unspecified streaming content under the Prime umbrella for subscribers. The idea appears to be similar to how Showtime content is included as just another category in the Hulu interface, rather than a separate app.
For the streamers, Amazon Prime brings some 40 million subscribers to the table. It also offers the ability to handle billing and customer service — two areas that content companies have been reluctant to get into.
by Chris Morran via Consumerist