Amazon.com ‘s streaming war with Netflix continues apace, as the Internet retail expanded its multiyear licensing agreement with PBS for hundreds of additional episodes of shows including NOVA, Masterpiece and Ken Burns documentaries plus kids’ shows like “Caillou,” “Arthur,” “Daniels Tiger’s Neighborhood,” “Dinosaur Train” and “Wild Kratts.”
The expanded deal comes weeks after Amazon inked major mulityear deal with Viacom for content from Nickelodeon, MTV and other networks — after programmer’s pact with Netflix ended.
In January, PBS and Amazon announced deal under which Carnival/Masterpiece co-production “Downtown Abbey” will become exclusive to Amazon’s video subscription service for all past and future seasons of Brit drama later this year. In addition, Amazon has exclusive digital distribution deal with CBS for summer skein “Under the Dome,” which premiered Sunday, with new episodes added four days after initial broadcast.
All told, Amazon’s Prime Instant Video service now includes more than 41,000 movies and TV episodes. Shows from PBS Kids that are available on Prime Instant Video will be available in Kindle FreeTime Unlimited, which provides books, games, educational apps, movies and TV shows on the tablet.
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“This deal is exciting for Prime members and particularly for those with families — this new deal combined with the recently announced Viacom deal brings some of the most popular kids programming to Prime Instant Video, making it the perfect place for the whole family to catch up on all their favorites,” Brad Beale, director of digital video content acquisition for Amazon, said in a statement.
Amazon’s video subscription service is available through the Prime membership program, $79 per year, which offers unlimited free two-day shipping on products. The company does not disclose membership figures.
