The vast majority of consumers are looking to stream video content these days. Rather than downloading videos, it has become more convenient to rely on streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. Speaking of the latter one, there are plans to expand this video service to over 200 countries in the coming months.
Amazon Prime Video Wants To Compete With Netflix
More competition in the video content streaming business is never a bad thing. Netflix is the clear market leader, as the service is available in roughly 190 countries so far. Amazon Prime Video, on the other hand, is currently limited to five countries, with India being added shortly–due time for an expansion of this offering, to say the least.
Leaked communication indicates that Amazon Prime Video will expand to 200 countries around the world. All of this information has not yet been officially confirmed by Amazon, but no one denies the rumors, either. If this service were to expand to the rest of the world, things could get very competitive in a few months from now.
Consumers all over the world are familiar with the Amazon brand, even if there is a lack of a local platform. With its multilingual services in various countries, the retail giant also offers worldwide shipping on the majority of its products. This part of the business will not expand anytime soon, as there is no evident need to do so.
One thing to keep in mind is how a global rollout of Amazon Prime Video will most likely increase the subscription cost. Every region has its content regulation guidelines, as well as payment structures for showing content to users. While it is true the retail giant will also increase earnings, the necessary video streaming infrastructure needs to be paid for as soon as possible.
This rumor comes at an interesting time for Amazon, as the company released their lowest quarterly profit in 12 months. Amazon has been spending a lot of money during Q3 of 2016, and the expansion of their video service will only increase that number. Moreover, strategic investments have been made for Q4 2016, which covers Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Christmas sales.
It will be interesting to see how this story plays out in the coming months. There is a lack of high-quality streaming content in international markets, as most efforts seem to focus on the US and the UK only. European and Asian users would welcome any competition in the video streaming space, and gladly pay to access it legally.
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