Amazon VOD Launches, Connects to Sony Bravia TVs

By | July 18th, 2008 comments icon (0) Comments


Finally, something other than YouTube on these Internet connected TVs. Sony and Amazon have announced that Amazon’s new streaming service will connect to Sony’s Bravia TVs, and as I’ve written about here, Sony has been working on a number of angles to get their Internet TV’s more content, much of it in Japan, but more and more I think they’ll partner with the likes of Amazon to get content to their devices.

As for Amazon, the service is their first streaming service, with Amazon VOD packing the Unbox download service capabilities within. As most of you know, Unbox has been largely seen as a disappointment, mostly due to a combination of a poorly executed launch with clunky software and the slow state of paid downloads. I think streaming is a good move, as consumers have shown that they want instant-viewing.

With the Netflix/Xbox 360 coupling and this recent Amazon/Sony pairing, the Internet-to-TV space is heating up. I have long thought that the connection to the TV is where paid downloads are going to finally catch some momentum, and these are announcements that could help this space along. Sony’s launch of their video store in its PlayStation store at E3 is another big one, though one that has taken longer than expected.

The Amazon VOD service has most of the major studios other than Disney, which is probably under the influence of Steve Jobs, who now sits on their board via the Pixar acquisition. Hopefully this will change at some point.

Related:
TechCrunch – Amazon To Debut Streaming Movie/TV Service Today
PC World – First Look: Amazon Video On Demand Service
PaidContent.org – Interview: Bill Carr, EVP of Digital, Amazon: On Amazon’s New VOD Service




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Filed in: Content Providers, Streaming Media Devices