Amazon challenges Google and Facebook with a YouTube service of its own

[Wireless News]

Looking to upload your homemade video clips-somewhere other than Google’s YouTube or Facebook’s video services? You’re in luck, as starting Tuesday anyone with an Amazon account can take advantage of the retailer's brand new user-generated video hosting service. DON’T MISS:- New unlimited VPN app for iPhone is designed to bypass censorship The company announced on Tuesday that content creators will-have various ways to-monetize their videos, including selling and renting them online via the Prime Video program, or making them available to anyone under an ad-based program similar to YouTube. The new service is called Amazon Video Direct and comes with an interesting incentive program. The AVD Stars program will give video creators a share of the $1-million Amazon will put up every month, on top of any revenue generated from their videos. “We’re constantly looking for ways to enable content creators to find an engaged audience and to make it easier for customers to discover great content,” an Amazon spokeswoman told The Wall Street Journal , which first reported the new Amazon service. The move is also a great way to fight against Google, Facebook and other rival services in an increasingly competitive space. Not to mention that Amazon’s new service-should have a direct effect on its online retail business. “Think of this like a Trojan horse to bring you into the kingdom of Amazon, which is a massive shopping mall,” Manatt Digital Media Ventures chief Peter Csathy told the Journal . “It really underscores how video has become the battleground in tech.” Amazon’s full press release follows, and the new video service home page is available at this link . Amazon Announces Amazon Video Direct, Giving Video Providers a Self-Service Program to Reach Amazon Customers, Including Tens of Millions of Prime Members Creators and storytellers from around the world can now make their videos available to customers as part of Prime Video and earn royalties based on hours streamed Videos can also be made available to rent or own, to view free with ads, or packaged together and offered as an add-on subscription Customers in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Austria and Japan now have access to new movies, TV shows, docu-series and music videos from content creators The Amazon Video Direct Stars program also launches today, giving video providers the opportunity to earn a monthly bonus based on customer engagement SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 10, 2016-- (NASDAQ:AMZN)—Amazon today announced an enhancement to Amazon Video: introducing Amazon Video Direct (AVD), a new self-service program for creators and storytellers to make their video content available to Amazon customers, including tens of millions of Prime members. Amazon Video is the only streaming service to offer customers unlimited access to tens of thousands of movies and TV episodes, including award-winning Amazon Original Series, through Prime Video; monthly subscriptions to SHOWTIME, STARZ, and more; and hundreds of thousands of titles including new-release movies and current TV shows for rent or purchase. With AVD, starting today, video providers have flexible self-service options for distributing their content: Included in Prime Video at no additional charge to tens of millions of Prime members Available as an add-on subscription through the Streaming Partners Program Offered as a one-time rental price or a one-time purchase price Available to all Amazon customers ad-supported Specific benefits of Amazon Video Direct include: Access to Amazon’s most engaged streaming audience—video providers can distribute their content directly to tens of millions of Prime members and earn royalties based on minutes streamed Choice of how to share titles—video providers can utilize the different options Amazon Video uses to share content to customers Expanded customer reach—video providers can choose to make their titles available in any country where Amazon Video is available—theUnited States, Germany, Austria, United Kingdom and Japan; with support for all the devices Amazon Video is available on—Fire TV, Fire and other iOS and Android tablets, connected TVs, game consoles, iOS and Android phones, and laptops Insightful performance metrics—video providers are given performance metrics, such as number of minutes a title was streamed, projected revenue, payment history, or number of subscribers, so they can optimize the way they offer and promote content to customers; video providers have full control and the flexibility to make changes based on these metrics “It’s an amazing time to be a content creator,” said Jim Freeman, Vice President of Amazon Video. “There are more options for distribution than ever before and with Amazon Video Direct, for the first time, there’s a self-service option for video providers to get their content into a premium streaming subscription service. We’re excited to make it even easier for content creators to find an audience, and for that audience to find great content.” Also launching today is the AVD Stars program, which gives video creators a share of one million dollars per month based on customer engagement with their title. Here’s how the program works: Amazon will distribute to creators a monthly bonus from the one million dollar monthly fund, based on the Top 100 AVD titles in Prime Video, in addition to any other revenue earned. Video creators and providers who use AVD to make their titles available in Prime Video will automatically be enrolled. The AVD Stars program launches today and the one million dollar monthly fund will make its first bonus distributions based on streaming activity from June 1st to June 30th. “We are thrilled to bring a selection of our premium original series, including Emmy nominated Vanity, to one of the premiere ad-free subscription services,” said Mia Goldwyn, Chief Content Officer, StyleHaul. “We believe Amazon Prime members will enjoy the unique female voices featured in our content and be inspired by the fashion and beauty that our brand embodies.” “Amazon Video Direct helps us reach fans of our beloved preschool brands, including classic Thomas & Friends, Barney & Friends, Angelina Ballerina, Fireman Sam and Pingu, and get the content in front of Prime members faster than ever and into new territories,” said Andrea Carpenter, Senior Director, Global Content Marketing and Distribution, Mattel. “The upload and publishing process is easy and fast, and we can directly monitor our streaming performance through our online dashboard.” “As a major, independently owned and operated motion-picture company, we’re excited to have the ability to distribute our films to Amazon customers around the globe,” said Peter Goldwyn, President of Samuel Goldwyn Films. “With Amazon Video Direct, we have the control to create the unique distribution strategies that reflect the changing ways in which our audiences discover our films. We can seamlessly make all our movies like Hyena Road, Somm: into the Bottle, Havana Motor Club, available to watch when and where our audiences want them. With Amazon Prime Video we have found an amazing home for films like The Benefactor with Richard Gere and Takeshi Miike’s Yakuza Apocalypse.” AVD launch partners include: Conde Nast Entertainment, HowStuffWorks, Samuel Goldwyn Films, The Guardian, Mashable, Mattel, StyleHaul, Kin Community, Jash, Business Insider, Machinima, TYT Network, Baby Einstein, CJ Entertainment America, Xive TV, Synergetic Distribution, Kino Nation, Journeyman Pictures, and Pro Guitar Lessons. Content from these providers can be found now on Amazon Video. To learn more about Amazon Video Direct, visit http://videodirect.amazon.com. Content creators and storytellers can start distributing their premium content today. About Amazon Video Amazon Video is a premium on-demand entertainment service that offers customers the greatest choice in what to watch, and how to watch it. Amazon Video is the only service that provides all of the following: Prime Video: Thousands of movies and TV shows, including popular licensed content plus critically-acclaimed and award-winning Amazon Original Series and Movies from Amazon Studios like Transparent, The Man in the High Castle, kids series Tumble Leaf and Chi Raq, available for unlimited streaming as part of an Amazon Prime membership Add-on Subscriptions: Dozens of subscriptions to networks like SHOWTIME, STARZ and more, available to Amazon Prime members as add-ons to their membership Rent or Own: Hundreds of thousands of titles, including new-release movies and current TV shows available for on-demand rental or purchase for all Amazon customers Instant Access: Instantly watch anytime, anywhere through the Amazon Video app on TVs, mobile devices, Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, and Fire tablets, or online. For a list of all compatible devices visit www.amazon.com/howtostream Premium Features: Top features like 4K Ultra HD, High Dynamic Range (HDR) and the only streaming service to offer mobile downloads for offline viewing In addition to Prime Video, the Prime membership includes unlimited Free Two-Day Shipping on millions of items across all categories, more than one million songs and thousands of playlists and stations with Prime Music, early access to select Lightning Deals all year long, free secure, unlimited photo storage in Amazon Cloud Drive with Prime Photos, access to borrow books with the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library, and more. To sign-up for Prime or to find out more visit: www.amazon.com/prime. About Amazon Amazon.com opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995. The company is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit www.amazon.com/about.

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