Advanced Television

Amazon expands CBS content deal

February 14, 2013

Further reinforcing its programming repertoire in its online entertainment sector battle with players such as Netflix, Amazon.com has secured an expanded content licensing agreement to bring classic series and hit TV shows from CBS Television Distribution and Showtime Networks to Amazon’s Prime Instant Video service, extending the catalogue of CBS content available for Prime members to stream instantly, and enjoy at no additional cost.

With this agreement, popular CBS and Showtime series coming to Prime Instant Video for the first time include America’s Next Top Model, Everybody Loves Raymond, Jericho, The L Word, Undercover Boss and United States of Tara, among others. In addition, favourite TV series such as Medium, The Tudors, the complete Star Trek franchise, I Love Lucy and more, will continue to be available for Prime members to stream, commercial-free at no additional cost on Kindle Fire HD, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Roku, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii and Wii U, among other devices.

“CBS was one of our earliest content partners for Prime Instant Video and our Prime customers have consistently told us how much they love having access to great CBS and Showtime shows,” said Brad Beale, Director of Digital Video Content Acquisition for Amazon. “Adding a wider selection of great TV series, while extending our already popular selection of CBS programming, continues to make Prime an even better deal for customers – and we love that.”

“We’re very pleased to extend our relationship with Amazon and their Prime Instant Video service,” said Scott Koondel, Chief Corporate Licensing Offer for CBS Corporation. “Clearly the appetite for CBS programming continues to be very healthy, and we look forward to continuing to reach and establish new fans through Amazon’s terrific platform.”

Amazon’s Prime Instant Video service recently announced it will be the exclusive online subscription home for the CBS summer series Under the Dome – produced by Steven Spielberg and based on Stephen King’s best-selling novel of the same name – which will give Amazon Prime members unlimited access to the TV series just four days after airing and will also be available for purchase and download to all Amazon customers exclusively on Amazon Instant Video. In addition, Amazon announced that Prime Instant Video will soon become the exclusive online subscription home for PBS series, Downton Abbey. The Prime Instant Video library now features more than 36,000 movies and TV episodes including favourite shows such as Downton Abbey, Fringe, and The West Wing and blockbuster movies including Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Rango and Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

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