Amazon is emerging as a major powerhouse in the video streaming business. Amazon Prime Instant Video is expanding at a faster rate than Netflix did in its early years and just scored a major deal with Warner Bros. for their television content.
Amazon announced today that they have entered into an agreement that will bring Warner Bros. television content to Amazon Prime Instant Video including popular shows like The West Wing and Fringe. Other shows include Dark Blue, Alcatraz and The Whole Truth.
“Since launching Prime Instant Video, we’ve continued to expand both the quantity and quality of video content for our Prime members,” said Brad Beale, director of digital video content acquisition for Amazon. “Bringing Fringe and The West Wing – two shows with a devoted fan base – to Prime Instant Video first, is another way for us to add value for Prime members and to continue to give customers content they love.”
Fringe and The West Wing will be exclusive to Amazon Prime Instant Video for the summer. The shows should show up on other services like Netflix in the fall. Still, it’s a pretty big win for Amazon. Convincing people to fork over $79 for a year of Amazon Prime is pretty difficult, but adding exclusive content makes it far more enticing.
People who want to catch up on Fringe or The West Wing can watch them on the PC, Kindle Fire, Xbox 360, PS3 and Roku. Amazon will probably be adding streaming apps to other devices over time. We’ll probably even see Amazon Prime Instant Video show up on or near the launch of the Wii U this fall.