“Netflix and chill” could get reclaimed by true movie watchers. Amazon unveils news that shakes up the game again. For those of us who actually plan to watch a movie, “Amazon and chill” may be the way to go.
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Front page news:
In an unexpected move for the entertainment industry, Amazon made news Monday that users of its Prime video service no longer needed to pay an annual subscription fee for its service, pitting it squarely against Netflix, at a time when 17 million of its users will see a price hike in May.
Now, for $8.99 a month, you can gain access to Amazon video streaming service for unlimited access to movies and TV shows. For $2 more per month, or $10.99, you can get monthly access to Amazon Prime too, giving you access to faster shipping too.
Read between the headlines:
For those of us looking for less commitment and more movie-watching, Netflix and chill just won’t do it (readers, you know what it really means, right?!).
As I tweeted last week, Netflix will raise prices on 17 million customers next month, particularly those with the standard plan, so the move is aptly timed and Hulu, Amazon and Apple could all by vying for Netflix’s disgruntled masses.
For the younger demo, which is not able to commit or is interested in the $99 Amazon Prime annual fee, this provides a compelling call to try out Amazon’s video service and its Prime service during key buying months like back-to-school and Christmas. Stats show that Prime users also spend as much as double what non-Prime customers do in a year, by some estimates, according to the Wall Street Journal. With Amazon, there’s always sideline benefits to other businesses.
What’s next:
In order to gain some real traction, Amazon needs to continue to bolster its video catalog, including original content to create similar House of Cards-like frenzy, which it has had some of with Emmy-winning, Transparent. Amazon’s next big challenge, however, is to make its content available everywhere via apps and on more devices. Right now it is much easier to reach Netflix content thanks for its app on most phones, TVs and streaming boxes.
In turn, Netflix should also consider allowing users to download content and make it available for viewing offline, which it has avoided until this point.
