Amazon Working on Free Ad-Supported Version of Prime Video as Content War With Apple Intensifies

Amazon is developing a free, ad-supported version of its Prime Video streaming video service, according to Ad Age.

The free tier will complement Amazon's ad-free, on-demand Prime Video service that is included with an annual $99 subscription to Amazon Prime, which provides free shipping, deals, and other perks to its online shoppers.

Amazon is reportedly in talks with TV networks, movie studios, and other media companies about programming for the service.

For the ad-supported service, Amazon wants to dive into back catalogs of TV and movie studios, looking to beef up its children's programming, for example, one TV industry insider says. It is also going after lifestyle, travel, cooking and other shows that are a good fit for an e-commerce platform.

Amazon, which is reportedly already estimated to have spent almost $5 billion on content by the end of the year, is said to be doubling down on its content efforts as Apple and several other tech companies push into original programming.

Last week, for example, Apple reportedly outbid Netflix for a new TV show that will star Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston. The series is said to revolve around the lives of morning talk show hosts, based on journalist Brian Stelter's book Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV.

Apple's push into original content is being led in part by former Sony executives Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht, who joined the iPhone maker back in June. Van Amburg and Erlicht are known for their work on many popular TV shows, including Breaking Bad, The Crown, and Better Call Saul.

Of note, Amazon Prime Video is still not available for the Apple TV. Apple said the app will be released by the end of 2017.

Tags: Amazon, Amazon Prime Video

Top Rated Comments

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Swampthing

8 months ago

Hey you Amazon. Where the hell is your Apple TV app that was promised months and months ago???

Rating: 22 Votes

spazzcat

8 months ago

Amazon doesn't want to give Apple a 30% cut, that's why your Amazon Prime App is missing

There isn't a 30% cut because you can't sign up for prime through the app.

Edit: Also, there is an iOS app...

Rating: 8 Votes

gnipgnop

8 months ago

You have to wonder how effective the billions spent on original content has actually been. This could all turn out to be a race to nowhere for some of these companies.

Rating: 7 Votes

NexusUser

8 months ago

Amazon doesn't want to give Apple a 30% cut, that's why your Amazon Prime App is missing

Rating: 4 Votes

webbuzz

8 months ago

Sorry. But it was originally promised well over a year ago... Tim Cook simply provided the most recent update.

When did Tim Cook promise it before the WWDC last June?

Rating: 4 Votes

macTW

8 months ago

Pay for prime. Gets “original content” nobody cares about. Now has to have ads cuz amazon needs more money.

Rating: 3 Votes

mwd25

8 months ago

I cant complain about the job Amazon has been doing. Love The Man in the High Castle, Bosch is a good show, Comrade Detective was good, and I just discovered a classic game show section, and Im getting into that. I have "The Big Three" subscription channels, Amazon Netflix and Hulu and while Amazon used to be a distant third in that lineup that have absolutely passed Hulu in content and quality.

Rating: 3 Votes

webbuzz

8 months ago

Hey you Amazon. Where the hell is your Apple TV app that was promised months and months ago???

This promise? Looks like they gave about six weeks.

Apple said "later this year."

[MEDIA=youtube]QnQ5fB9hCqk[/MEDIA]

Amazon said "this year."

Rating: 3 Votes

benji888

8 months ago

Except Hulu doesnt have a free ad supported tier anymore. Which is one thing that makes me want to blow my brains out with Hulu. I dont pay Amazon money for video with ads......then pay MORE for no ads. I dont pay Netflix for video with ads..........then have to pay MORE for no ads. But Hulu thinks this is ok somehow. Again, you dont pay Spotify for music with ads.....then pay MORE for no ads. WTF!!!!! I'm paying you (Hulu) a subscription already so it should already have no ads. Which is how it used to be BTW. It would be the equivalent of network tv or terrestrial radio starting to charge us for the same service we get now.....free. and then saying "We have a very special offer for those who dont want ads.....pay us more." Hulu sucks.

For those of us that remember TV before cable, you had to put up with ads because TV was free, pick up local channels with your antenna. When cable came around, you paid for more channels, yes, but, those channels were without commercials, because you were paying for them.

So it used to be:

Pay for it, no ads. Period.
Not paying for it, put up with ads.

That is how it should be now.

Even then, you could use your VCR to record shows, then playback and fast forward through commercials. This isn’t possible the way content is delivered via the internet...well, let me rephrase that...it is possible, but, the content providers, (all of them, AFIK), lock out the commercials from being able to fast forward or skip.

Rating: 2 Votes

npmacuser5

8 months ago

What makes Amazon Video better then others, for me, Channels. One login, one account, one interface, one location to add or remove a Channel, Brilliant. Now they need to move forward and make sure their video is updated and on All mainstream devices.

Rating: 2 Votes

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