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Amazon Prime Video's Global Launch Looks Soft, But It's Just a First Step (variety.com)
Earlier this month, Amazon announced that it is expanding its Prime Video on-demand video streaming service to over 200 countries and territories. But how good is the content catalogue? A report on Variety explores: In several countries looked at by Variety, the company hasn't even bothered to translate the PrimeVideo.com website's interface from English into the local language. And its content offerings seem scant and lacking in local flavor. Amazon's strategy appears to be a two-step process: first establish a global footprint, then go back and build out more tailored platforms in key new markets with better-curated and more local-language content, similar to what the company has already done in the U.S., the U.K., Germany, Austria, and Japan. In India, they set up a local operation prior to their Dec. 14 launch there. "We are just getting started. It's still day one for us," Roy Price, Vice President, Amazon Prime Video and Amazon Studio, wrote in emailed comments to Variety. "Like everything we do at Amazon, we are focused on continuously improving the customer experience, including adding content and localizing features over time," Price said, noting that Prime will be adding new Amazon originals as well as licenced and localized programming in the future. To do this, Amazon will likely start cutting larger acquisition deals with prominent local players, including leading broadcasters.
Why do prime video still show me ciontent (while I'm logged in) that i don't have the possibility to warch( region testrictions), nice pr move Amazon " look at al this grait content that you can't whatch" wth?
This is great and all, but I wish they'd just open up access to the entire library in the country you're visiting (ala Netflix) and/or in your home country, instead of limiting Prime users abroad to the ~8 shows they currently allow access to while you're on the road. As an American Prime subscriber sitting in Europe, I don't even have access to the vast majority of their own in-house content.
I have it now while it is basicly free but i am going to cancel it when it starts costing.
1 amazone have already sold exclusive rigths for most of their shows to cable companies in my country. So prime cant even show their own content.
The only shows i can se is grand tour and the man in the high tower.
2 no cromecast support and i dont want to have an extra dongle for amazon content only wich they cant show anyway.
And they decided to censor their content in India and who knows how many other countries. I'm not paying 500 INR for censored content so, cancelled my subscription and got a refund. I'm pirating all shows from now on, fuck this shit.
Local content is good, but absolutely not a requirement, especially in smaller countries. Just give access to the full US catalogue, and you'll be ahead of Netflix already. There are already smaller national services for the local content. And people are used to UIs in English, and in many cases it beats the bad translations.
new markets with better-curated and more local-language content
If I want to watch reruns of Betty La Fea (Ugly Betty) I will watch my local fucking cable channel. I want the stuff I CAN'T get here. In the language (English) I CAN'T get here. Not the same poorly translated movies I am already watching. That is the whole fucking point of the internet - breaking old models and allowing the viewer to watching things he couldn't watch before. "Localization" merely attempts to shove the viewer back into the box some committee thinks he belongs in.
Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
In the Netherlands Amazon Prime has been launched as well. I was just looking into it. The first hurdle is the primary payment method for internet orders is unavailable. IDeal is used in 90% of internet transactions in the Netherlands, more than half of the people here do not have (or want) a credit card. Additionally Playsation 3 and 4 apps have not been launched and chromecast support is not available yet, no ETA either. This in contrast to the cairfull launch of Netflix years ago. IDeal and apps were available from day one. Netflix had a serious market share in just one month!
it's to lube you up to get you to spend more, More, MORE!
Can I watch their content on my Apple TV without streaming it from my phone or iPad? No? Then who cares? As far as I'm concerned, it still hasn't launched.
In before "but Apple walled garden! froth! rant!": the Prime Video app is available for other iOS devices so Amazon is apparently perfectly happy with the fee structure they've worked out with Apple. They're just being petulant.
Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?
They have decent content but it's such a waste without Chromecast support. They should hire people out of Hulu or Netflix (but definitely NOT HBO) to get that fixed. They did this whole PR thing blaming Google when it is totally their fault. Time to fix that up, no other part of Prime Video deserves attention.