Amazon TV Service Helps Starz, HBO Stand Out in Netflix Era
Media companies hoping to challenge Netflix and YouTube with their own online services are getting a huge boost from an unexpected source: Amazon.
For about a year and a half, Amazon’s Prime membership service has been promoting subscriptions ranging from the well-known HBO and Starz to niche services like Gaia and Acorn TV, along with its own offerings including the award-winning comedy “Transparent.” On Monday, the world’s largest online retailer said the effort will expand to the U.K., Germany and Austria with 25 to 42 live and on-demand channels from its partners.
Amazon Channels is the closest TV viewers can get to the dream of a la carte TV, where subscribers pick the program sources they want instead of buying a bundle from DirecTV or Sky Plc that includes networks they never watch. The success of the initiative has surprised the Seattle-based retailer, which has put off plans for its own live service and is creating new channels focused on anime and Bollywood.