Amazon Prime Instant Video Tops 40,000 titles

25 Jul, 2013 By: Erik Gruenwedel

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Content tally only slightly higher since May despite high-profile license agreements in the quarter

Amazon July 25 said its Prime Instant Video service has topped 40,000 titles since its launch in 2011.

The announcement is noteworthy considering Amazon in May said its subscription video-on-demand add-on to the Prime shipping program had reached 40,000 titles, and since that time the ecommerce behemoth has announced several high-profile content license deals, including a new deal with Miramax and expanded agreements with CBS (“Under the Dome”), PBS and Viacom.

The latter included coveted Nickelodeon programs such as “SpongeBob Square Pants,” and “Blue’s Clues.”

Separately, Amazon reported a second-quarter (ended June 30) net loss of $7 million compared to net income of $7 million during the previous-year period. Revenue increased 22% to more than $15.7 billion from $12.8 billion. The gain would have been 25% except for $392 million in unfavorable foreign exchange rates.

Media revenue, which includes movies, TV shows, music, books and video games, topped $2.1 billion from more than $1.8 billion last year.

Amazon said its kids’ platform, Kindle FreeTime Unlimited, has added more than a thousand books, games, educational apps, movies and TV shows, including select titles from Disney, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, and Electronic Arts, among others.

“Our digital [media] unit sales [are] growing fast relative to physical units,” said CFO Tom Szkutak said in a call with analysts, adding that digital media growth rates remain higher in North America than internationally.

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