Don’t look in your rearview mirror, Netflix. It would only freak you out how quickly Amazon is gaining on you. Amazon has announced a deal with Epix, a film distributor, that will bring a bunch of new titles to the company’s Prime Instant Video service. Amazon viewers will soon be able to catch “The Hunger Games”, “Thor”, and “Super 8” on Amazon’s service, which costs $79 a year. Netflix had an exclusive deal with Epix but that expired last month, so while you’ll still be able to see the titles on Netflix, it won’t be the only place you can see them. Amazon’s catalog is still smaller than Netflix’s but the gap is closing and Amazon has certainly emerged as one of the top three streaming services, along with Netflix and Hulu Plus.
What will be interesting to watch here is what else Amazon does with Prime. Right now, you get free two-day shipping, a Kindle book per month to borrow, and the video streaming. How else can Amazon combine those and other deals? What else can Amazon offer license holders to sweeten the pot in striking deals?
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