Amazon Denies Plans for Free Video Streaming Service

By Jordan Chariton 

amazon-1Amazon is denying a Wall Street Journal report that it’s planning a free, ad-supported streaming TV and music service.

If created, it would be a stark departure from linking video content to an Amazon prime subscription service, which costs $99 annually. The free service would include original and licensed content, and that Amazon has already held talks with the creators of “Betas,” a series depicting a Silicon Valley start-up Amazon co-produced last year.

Music video streams might also be offered for free, with a search for a popular artist bringing up their most recent videos. The speculation continues Amazon’s digital push, which recently extended to social TV.  As we reported last month, Amazon partnered with NBC’s “Hannibal” for an all-day binge-watching event ahead of its season two premiere.

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“We’re often experimenting with new things, but we have no plans to offer a free streaming media service,” an Amazon spokesperson told the Journal.

Companies like Amazon grappling with the costs vs. benefits of offering free streaming services will be just one of the topics up for discussion at the TVNewser Show on April 29.

The full-day conference will feature various panels, discussing topics like the rise of social TV and how TV and entertainment executives can attract millennials to their products. Our panels will feature high-level TV and digital executives, including YouTube.com’s Head of Strategy & Insight Cenk Bulbul.

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