- Amazon Prime Video may soon add live TV channels, according to a number of recent job offers and an industry source who spoke with Protocol.
- According to Amazon’s job listings, the company wants to build “next-generation linear catalog systems to provide the best linear TV experience for Prime Video customers.”
- Amazon has been experimenting with live television for years, from Amazon channels and a news app dedicated to live streams of NFL and EPL games.
One of the ways Hulu has broken away from other popular streaming services like Netflix is by adding a live TV option. If you’re willing to spend an additional $ 50, you can enjoy all the original and licensed content Hulu has to offer, plus more than 65 live and on-demand TV channels. Hulu + Live TV quickly became the most popular TV streaming service on the market, but a new rival could soon challenge Hulu for the throne.
According to Protocol, Amazon plans to offer a live TV service to Prime Video. Multiple job listings have appeared online suggesting that, and an industry source told the publication that Amazon is “actively seeking” license agreements for live and linear programming. “You should assume they are talking to everyone,” he added.
Although Amazon hasn’t announced any specific plans yet, a list of jobs seems to explain them:
Linear (24/7 broadcast or television programming) is one of the key options for Prime Video customers. Although video on demand is on the rise, global viewing hours weigh in favor of live or scheduled television and OTT linear streaming is projected to grow 64% in the next two years. At Prime Video Catalog we are creating next generation linear catalog systems to provide the best linear TV experience to Prime Video customers. It’s day 1 for the linear TV experience on Prime Video.
How Protocol He notes, this would not be the first time Amazon has experimented with linear TV offerings. For the past few years, the NFL Thursday night soccer the games have been broadcast on Prime Video and Twitch. Additionally, a few days ago, Amazon announced that English Premier League matches will air for free on Twitch in the UK starting this month. But it seems that Amazon’s ambitions will further expand in the future.
Another list of jobs seems to open the curtain on at least part of that ambition: “We are looking for an experienced Product Manager for the Prime Video Linear TV team to redefine how customers watch linear streaming TV content 24/7. Linear TV allows customers to view 24/7 broadcasts of their favorite television stations broadcasting programs including sports, news, movies, awards, special events, and television shows. “
Last fall, Amazon launched a dedicated news app on Fire TV with multiple live news channels, including ABC News Live, CBS News Live, Yahoo News, and Cheddar. Amazon also created a Channel Guide in 2018 to help viewers rank Amazon channels they have subscribed to, some of which have live programming. But based on all the job listings and Protocol Sources, it appears that something in the same arena as Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, or YouTube TV is in the works at Amazon. It may not be as robust or include as many channels as those services, but all you really need to do is help sell more Amazon Prime subscriptions.
Jacob started covering video games and technology in college as a hobby, but it quickly became apparent to him that this was what he wanted to do for a living. He currently resides in New York writing for BGR. His previously published work can be found on TechHive, VentureBeat, and Game Rant.
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