Battle Field…As Amazon Debuts YouTube Video-Like Service

Online retailer, Amazon, has introduced a new ad-supported video service that looks like YouTube, which let users upload clips.The service, called  Amazon Video Direct  allow creators to upload their own videos to Amazon’s Prime Video and generate royalties based on the hours streamed.

With this new innovation, creators now have several options to monetise their videos, including making them available to rent or own, or they can make them free and ad-supported. The videos can also be packaged together and offered as an add-on subscription to Amazon Prime Video. Add-on subscriptions are available through the Streaming Partners Program, and are intended for larger-scale video providers.

This self-serve platform reaches the company’s “tens of millions” of Prime members, Amazon said. Many of these customers are already engaged with Amazon Prime Video, as they use this Netflix-like service to watch Amazon’s free TV shows and movies, including both popular network TV and Hollywood films, as well as Amazon’s own original content.

Amazon informed that creators will have control over where their videos can be streamed. For now, that means they can be streamed in countries where Amazon Video is available – the U.S., Germany, Austria, United Kingdom and Japan.

These videos can be played back anywhere Amazon Video works, as well, which includes mobile phones and tablets (Fire, iOS and Android), desktop, game consoles, connected TV platforms, and Fire TV.

As obtainable with other video sites, creators will also have access to metrics to see how their videos are performing. This system, at launch, includes the ability to track number of minutes a title was streamed, projected revenue, payment history, and number of subscribers. This allows the creators to make changes based on their metrics.

This is an amazing time to be a content creator .There are more options for distribution than ever before and with Amazon Video Direct, for the first time, there is a self-service option for video providers to get their content into a premium streaming subscription service. We are excited to make it even easier for content creators to find an audience, and for that audience to find great content,” said Jim Freeman, Vice President of Amazon Video.