# Amazon to add other networks to prime video



## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

According to Amazon Said Planning to Add Other Online Networks to Prime Video:



> Amazon.com Inc. will soon let viewers of its Prime Instant Video service tap into other on-demand networks, according to people with knowledge of the plans.
> 
> Prime customers will have the option of adding other online subscriptions to their accounts, including major, well-known movie and TV channels, and Amazon will also sell prepackaged bundles of its own creation, said the people, who asked not to be identified or disclose the names of the partners because the plans are private. They said the new feature may go live as soon as next month.


That's about as little information as a story could provide. But it's a starting point for a thread as more real information becomes available.


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## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

As a Prime member, it's always good to have more choices but I suspect some
of those 'optional' services will either add to the cost incrementally or Bezos will
jack the annual fee. Or, worse case scenario -- both.


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## seern (Jan 13, 2007)

What that quote make me think is that Amazon is planning to let one subscribe to say Acorn via their Amazon Prime account and you will just pay Amazon instead of Acorn. For people who want diverse streaming possibilities this may be a way to go without having to individually subscribe.


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## SeaBeagle (May 7, 2006)

phrelin said:


> According to Amazon Said Planning to Add Other Online Networks to Prime Video:
> 
> That's about as little information as a story could provide. But it's a starting point for a thread as more real information becomes available.


Would be neat to have more local channels.

Sent from my iPad 4 128GB using DBSTalk mobile application.


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## oldschoolecw (Jan 25, 2007)

seern said:


> What that quote make me think is that Amazon is planning to let one subscribe to say Acorn via their Amazon Prime account and you will just pay Amazon instead of Acorn. For people who want diverse streaming possibilities this may be a way to go without having to individually subscribe.


That was my impression also, a one stop app that's connected to many other services


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## Wilf (Oct 15, 2008)

This does not strike me as that different than the choices one has on a Roku or Plex or Apple TV or . . . but the choices are not the same on each service.


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## seern (Jan 13, 2007)

Wilf said:


> This does not strike me as that different than the choices one has on a Roku or Plex or Apple TV or . . . but the choices are not the same on each service.


I don't think it is, just Amazon trying to get the money themselves.


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## KG4KBU (Mar 28, 2014)

The newson app for roku is great for local news

Sent from my Z987 using Tapatalk


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## SeaBeagle (May 7, 2006)

KG4KBU said:


> The newson app for roku is great for local news
> 
> Sent from my Z987 using Tapatalk


I added the NEWSON channel to ROKU. Where are the choices for the stations? As soon as I start the application one channel starts up.

Sent from my iPad 4 128GB using DBSTalk mobile application.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

SeaBeagle said:


> I added the NEWSON channel to ROKU. Where are the choices for the stations? As soon as I start the application one channel starts up.
> 
> Sent from my iPad 4 128GB using DBSTalk mobile application.


If you are like me, because of my location I didn't get a station in my San Francisco DMA, but KCRA (NBC local) Sacramento instead.

You may have noticed up at the upper left of the screen a practically invisible symbol that indicates the left-right-up-down control. Press left and you'll get to a very confusing menu.

On that menu I went down to the "Places" option, pressed left, that gave me a national regions menu, I scrolled down to "West", pressed left, which gave me a state option so I scrolled down to California, pressed left and it gave me several DMA choices, I picked San Francisco with a left press, and it gave me two stations and one station clips options, I picked KGO (ABC local) with a left, and I could set it as a favorite and a watch now. I have both KGO and KCRA as favorites.

It's a bit clumsy in presentation but it works.


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## SeaBeagle (May 7, 2006)

phrelin said:


> If you are like me, because of my location I didn't get a station in my San Francisco DMA, but KCRA (NBC local) Sacramento instead.
> 
> You may have noticed up at the upper left of the screen a practically invisible symbol that indicates the left-right-up-down control. Press left and you'll get to a very confusing menu.
> 
> ...


PERFECT!!!! See it pays to ask. Never saw that symbol before.

Sent from my iPad 4 128GB using DBSTalk mobile application.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Ok, the other shoe has dropped. According to Deadline Hollywood this morning:



> Here's the latest hammer blow at the pay TV bundle, and an interesting add-on to Amazon's video offerings for customers who pay $99 a year for its Prime service: Its new Streaming Partners Program is designed to make it simple for members to pay a monthly fee to see programs from Showtime, Starz, and other premium services.
> 
> In addition to the well known premium channels, Amazon will offer Lifetime Movie Club, Shudder, SundanceNow Doc Club, Acorn TV, Urban Movie Channel, Acacia TV, DramaFever Instant, Tribeca Short List, Dove Channel, Docurama, CONtv, Smithsonian Earth, IndieFlix Shorts, Curiosity Stream, Qello, Cinefest, Nature Vision, Warriors and Gangsters, Dox, Monsters and Nightmares, Hooplakidz Plus, ScreenJunkies Plus, Film Forum, Daring Docs, Fear Factory, and Ring TV Boxing.
> 
> ...


So, by being an Amazon Prime member you get to pay the same for Showtime as you can through HULU and can watch it on your Amazon Fire (Stick). Both are $2 a month cheaper than subscribing directly from Showtime through your Roku.

Welcome to the new subscription package deals and premium channel à la carte option. Currently I'm getting a "six month half-price deal" on Showtime from Dish - $7.50 a month instead of $15 a month. Through my Roku "receiver" Showtime is $10.99 a month. If I pay for Amazon Prime (a "package" which gives you many varied benefits in addition to access to some TV shows and movies at no additional charge) or HULU (which gives you access to many, many TV shows and some movies at no additional charge), you get $2 a month off a Showtime subscription (and a free introductory month).

Amazon will also sell you a "receiver" Fire TV or Fire TV Stick. HULU doesn't offer any device.

Which leaves us with an interesting new TV setup.

You need a receiving device for streaming TV. Roku offers devices that access almost every streaming service that exist. Apple offers the Apple TV device that accesses fewer services. Amazon offer the Fire TV device that accesses even fewer services. Your computer can access all the services I know of.

You need to subscribe to services. At this point it is sort of like subscribing to packages with many à la carte options.

I'm not sure we're gaining anything beyond more choices.


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## SayWhat? (Jun 7, 2009)

The Help Page:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201975120

Follow though the link maze to get to: To view and manage your video subscriptions, go to Manage Your Video Subscriptions. If you're logged in, you'll get to a page of offerings and a method to select them

.


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## Wilf (Oct 15, 2008)

At this time I am way behind in trying to watch all the stuff in "My List" on Netflix and the offerings on Acorn TV. I am not about to subscribe to any other services. Having choice is wonderful and hopefully keeping prices low. As a retired fossil, I watch a lot of video, but I do have a life for other stuff.


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## billsharpe (Jan 25, 2007)

Netflix and PBS online on my Apple TV keeps me pretty well satisfied. I have a Fire TV stick as well but don't use it very often. I do like the Amazon music offerings as well as the Amazon Prime free shipping options.


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## camo (Apr 15, 2010)

I got the email from Amazon prime also about having Showtime and Starz available at discounted price vs what satellite offers. My issue is this is for 1 channel not 5-8 channels available over satellite. Is it worth the 4-5$ savings? Not for me. If I cut the cord altogether from satellite I can see it.


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## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

camo said:


> I got the email from Amazon prime also about having Showtime and Starz available at discounted price vs what satellite offers. My issue is this is for 1 channel not 5-8 channels available over satellite. Is it worth the 4-5$ savings? Not for me. If I cut the cord altogether from satellite I can see it.


Well that's not really true either. It should be access to their entire library they have available for the entire month at any moment so it's basically having every show available constantly.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

inkahauts said:


> Well that's not really true either. It should be access to their entire library they have available for the entire month at any moment so it's basically having every show available constantly.


Yes, the internet streaming option (really, the Netflix model) is pretty different in concept from the cable/satellite option - you don't turn your device on and see what's playing. You select from the hundreds of titles/episodes. Up to two devices per account can be used to stream different videos at the same time.

Conceptually, I consider Amazon Video, Netflix, Hulu, Acorn TV, etc., each a separate "on-demand" channel adding to the channels I receive through Dish.

On Dish my Showtime subscription gets me a number of separate channels airing content on a predetermined schedule.

Through Amazon (or Hulu), subscribing to Showtime just adds content to Amazon (or Hulu) which can be viewed on my schedule.

As I've said elsewhere, I'm old and most of my life the networks scheduled my TV viewing. When we got to DVR's I gained flexibility, but generally watched this week's episode of a show this week (live+7 in ratings jargon). Scheduling has now become infinitely more complicated because Netflix and Amazon and Hulu and Acorn TV make available an entire season of a show all at once. I have to devise the schedule for TV viewing.

I'm not doing so well. Previously, if I got behind it was obvious and I could easily catch up by watching an extra episode of a show on Saturday night. When Amazon released the full season of "Man in the High Castle" I found myself instantly 10 episodes behind. This is very distracting and some shows tempt us into binge watching.


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## billsharpe (Jan 25, 2007)

Netflix loaded this season's Longmire a couple months ago. We are now up to episode 4. I don't believe in binge watching.

I am also slowly working my way through all the seasons of Cheers and Mash on Netflix. Watching these old shows without commercials is wonderful!

I may subscribe to Showtime this way for a month or two just to catch up on Homeland and Nurse Jackie.


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