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Amazon Prime Will Soon Be More Popular Than Cable TV (recode.net)

Posted by BeauHD on from the only-a-matter-of-time dept.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Recode: Someday soon, more U.S. households will be subscribers of Amazon Prime than cable or satellite TV, according to recent estimates of Amazon's popular shipping and entertainment service. According to estimates from Morningstar, nearly 79 million U.S. households now have an Amazon Prime membership*, up from around 66 million at the end of last year. That compares to a projected 90 million U.S. households that will pay for cable or satellite TV this year, according to S&P Global. According to these estimates, more U.S. households may have an Amazon Prime subscription than a pay TV subscription as soon as next year. The implication here is not that Amazon's Prime Video service is more popular than TV; the main reason most people subscribe to Amazon Prime is still the fast delivery of products.

116 comments

  1. Amazon Prime can go DiaF by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Interesting

    I canceled my subscription when they started adding all of the other features. If they want my business again, they can offer separate services at lower individual prices.

    1. Re:Amazon Prime can go DiaF by David_Hart · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I canceled my subscription when they started adding all of the other features. If they want my business again, they can offer separate services at lower individual prices.

      So, you cancelled your Amazon Prime subscription at $99 per year because it was getting better with more added services?

      Isn't that like saying that you don't want the car with the leather seats, blind-spot warning, and backup camera for the same price as the basic model simply because there are too many features? I guess I'm missing something...

    2. Re:Amazon Prime can go DiaF by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not a subscriber but what many expect is that if the service is getting cheaper to offer then instead of throwing in shit they don't want then they should be lowering the price. Your car comparison was dodgy as all hell as you included items that regardless of whether you want them they actually would be usefull whereas the extra features added to and paid for in amazon are not necessarily useful or used by the user. If I buy a car I don't want them to include a towbar, electric sunroof, arse heaters for the back seats, expensive metallic paint or options for wheelchair access, would rather pay less for the car or have them spend the money on improving the features I actually use.

    3. Re:Amazon Prime can go DiaF by Bite+The+Pillow · · Score: 0

      I cancelled when they showed movies I JUST WATCHED on the Watch Next list. I can't get rid of that shit.

      6 months later I need to buy stuff so I get prime again, check out the rec lists, and there's like a million things I want to watch in a row. A week later, THEY ARE ALL STILL THERE after watching them. All.

      Diaf indeed. Slowly, as is your pace. Netflix wins here.

    4. Re:Amazon Prime can go DiaF by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, your comparison was even more dodgy as hell. The car company is in control of what features are in the car and control the price of those features. Amazon can't easily eschew extra services and instead force UPS to charge less for delivery. Amazon wasn't in a position to lower the cost but could add features.

    5. Re:Amazon Prime can go DiaF by Your.Master · · Score: 1

      First, they do offer separate services generally. You can buy a Twitch subscription separately, or you can pay for shipping your goods every time you make an order, or you can digitally rent (or buy) each show you watch individually. Each of those individual actions is cheaper than a Prime subscription. Is there some service you want that you can't get without Prime? Or do you just want an intermediate price for intermediate bundles of services?

      Second, your argument is based on the following irrational positions:

      1. That the reason new services were added is that the existing services got cheaper to offer.
      2. That offering the same service for the same price at a higher profit margin devalues the service that you had previously believed was worth it to you.

      The second only makes sense if you have an alternative that did lower their price.

      For the first, when Amazon adds another service, that would have the following obvious effects:

      1. People who don't care about the new thing don't change their subscription status either way because it changes nothing, and the costs to Amazon are unchanged.
      2. People who do care and are already subscribers, now get a new service, and increased happiness. Amazon's costs increase there.
      3. People who would not be subscribers because they don't get the value per dollar they expect, now become subscribers (or decide not to unsubscribe after all). This will increase Amazon's revenue and may increase Amazon's profit, depending on how much service they consume vs. their alternative methods to access the service.
      4. Even at breakeven, it encourages people who could just as easily choose Amazon or Wal-Mart, or Amazon vs. Youtube Red, or whatever, to choose Amazon due to the halo effect.

      There are non-obvious knock-on effects, like the above AC's irrational cancellation, but these are the main ones. It's entirely possible that the cost to offer the services actually increased and that is driving the increase in services to increase volume to help counteract those effects (not saying that happened, just that it's not logically impossible).

      I'd be very surprised if Amazon profited off of literally every Prime subscription vs. users just getting the same stuff a la carte. They have to offer Prime to those people as an opportunity cost to get Prime to others.

    6. Re:Amazon Prime can go DiaF by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

      Man, that's tough. You deserve a purple heart or something. Are you OK? Did you manage to survive the horror? After watching those horrible "million things" did you need rehab? Triage? Medical assistance? I'm surprised you survived the horrible ordeal.

    7. Re:Amazon Prime can go DiaF by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      he cancelled because the price went up.. BECAUSE of all the extra bullshit (that they aren't interested in).

      amazon rolls it all together to build a user base for that crap. but the real joke will be when they do start charging extra for this and that and everything else ON TOP of the base prime (which of course will stay priced higher, because fuck the customer).

    8. Re:Amazon Prime can go DiaF by radarskiy · · Score: 1

      Costs went up. Price stayed the same.

      The difference between prices and costs is pretty basic microeconomics.

    9. Re:Amazon Prime can go DiaF by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You are being intentionally stupid. I only want 2 day shipping. I don't want TV shows about transsexuals or all the other garbage that's included now. I buy stuff from amazon once or twice a week, so saying I can get the same two day shipping for $79 by buying ala carte 2-day shipping is factually wrong.

    10. Re:Amazon Prime can go DiaF by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I live half hour plus away from most retail stores. For me Prime free shipping by itself pays dividends in shipping charges. Yes, the other services are marginally useful add on's since many movies and shows are old cheap re runs and the free music is a very limited catalog of artists. If you don't buy a lot online its probably not worth the $99 a year. For myself living in the boonies its more than practical.

    11. Re:Amazon Prime can go DiaF by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      you're an idiot.

    12. Re:Amazon Prime can go DiaF by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I never subscribed and have no intention of ever doing so.
      Amazon is as bad a Google, MS and the rest in wanting all your life, your universe and everything.
      I don't buy anything from them unless there literally is nowhere else to get it.
      Apparently Amazon take 40% of all online shopping. Getting far too big for their boots.
      Don't want cable either.
      Here we get 100+ Satellite Channels for free as in no monthly subscription. Buy the set-top box and that's it. That more than does me and the rest of the house.
      No using all your broadband bandwith for streaming stuff that you can get over Satellite (eg Planet Rock, BBC 6 Music, Absolute Classic Rock etc).
       

    13. Re:Amazon Prime can go DiaF by Wycliffe · · Score: 1

      You are being intentionally stupid. I only want 2 day shipping. I don't want TV shows about transsexuals or all the other garbage that's included now. I buy stuff from amazon once or twice a week, so saying I can get the same two day shipping for $79 by buying ala carte 2-day shipping is factually wrong.

      I think you are missing the point. It is impossible for Amazon to 2-day ship stuff to you once or twice a week all year long for $79 (or even $99). They still have to pay UPS, Fedex, etc... In order for your Prime to exist at the sub $100 range, Amazon either has to raise the price of the products it is shipping or find infrequent users to subsidize the frequent users. The "other garbage" that you complain about is stuff that Amazon can provide very cheap in order to hook more infrequent shoppers. The infrequent shoppers are really what drives Prime. They pay the $99 and once they pay it, they tend to do all their purchases on Amazon so not only do they get the added purchases, in many cases, the infrequent shopper never buys enough stuff to fully make up for the $99 worth of shipping that was paid up front.

    14. Re:Amazon Prime can go DiaF by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They won't even fix the Wishlist filters that sort by price. It's been Months.

    15. Re:Amazon Prime can go DiaF by AvitarX · · Score: 1

      it wasn't always $99/year

      --
      Wow, sent an e-mail as suggested when clicking on "use classic" banner, and got a fast response that addressed my msg
    16. Re:Amazon Prime can go DiaF by stephanruby · · Score: 1

      The person you're replying to is anonymous, so he/she may never notice your response.

      The Amazon Prime fee used to be $79 per year. They added features, but they also increased that fee to $99. Also, if you were a non-prime member, you could usually ship things for free if you went over $25, now I believe that limit is $50. Not to mention the fact that the shipping delay for non-prime free shipping always seemed to be artificially elongated in order to make Prime membership especially seem more attractive in comparison.

      Compared to that, a Costco membership is $60 and Costco.com seems to have good prices for the selection it has. And Walmart.com doesn't have a membership at all, but its prices still seem to beat Amazon's. Please do not take my word for it, your mileage may vary, and there are extensions on your browser you can install that will pull up prices from other websites when you're browsing the Amazon website. One advantage with Walmart.com for some is that the shipping is free if you have it shipped to one of their stores and then pick it up from there.

    17. Re:Amazon Prime can go DiaF by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Bright-line necessary tasks = features. Faggy leather + camera = BLING = noise. Noise = irritation. Get it now ? Less = more !

    18. Re:Amazon Prime can go DiaF by ai4px · · Score: 1

      Yeah, 'cause a la carte is working so well in the CATV world. I've got 357 channels of which I only care about 5 or 6. I see your point, but for $99 a year, I get my money's worth out of the shipping and the music and TV is just a plus. Their music service *is* annoying as they have pushed some songs into my play list that I didn't want and won't let me delete and they keep moving songs I do like to their music unlimited service which I won't pay for.

    19. Re:Amazon Prime can go DiaF by ai4px · · Score: 1

      UPS does the same artifical delay tactic. I once saw a label on a UPS package that said "Don't deliver SDS first day".

    20. Re:Amazon Prime can go DiaF by David_Hart · · Score: 1

      he cancelled because the price went up.. BECAUSE of all the extra bullshit (that they aren't interested in).

      amazon rolls it all together to build a user base for that crap. but the real joke will be when they do start charging extra for this and that and everything else ON TOP of the base prime (which of course will stay priced higher, because fuck the customer).

      The Prime subscription price went up 3 years ago from a whopping $79 a year to a whopping $99 a year, a $20 increase, the cost of one Blu-Ray. Watch one movie, read three books, or order one heavy item (i.e. an uninterruptible power supply, etc.) on Amazon Prime and you've made your money back. If he had Amazon Prime, he was ordering stuff through Amazon and getting free shipping. Some of that stuff was likely heavy and would have cost more than $20 for shipping...

      You are right that It's quite possible that Amazon will change their service model as they gain customers. If they do, then people who don't like the model will cancel their service. That being said, you're basically saying that you hate Amazon Prime because of what they MIGHT do in the future. That's just as irrational as not eating an apple in front of you when you are staving simply because you believe that it might have a worm in it...

    21. Re:Amazon Prime can go DiaF by stdarg · · Score: 2

      It's not impossible, but it does depend on the details involved. Amazon's shipping money doesn't just come from Prime, it also charges the businesses that are offering their products as Prime Eligible.

      Indeed, on some items you can pretty blatantly see the hidden pricing... just look at any Prime Eligible item that is also available as an add-on item.

      I don't know if this is enough to make up for every possible pattern of shipment, but I think there are definitely some patterns of weekly shipments that Amazon can still profit off of. It really depends what you're ordering.

    22. Re:Amazon Prime can go DiaF by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      When prime first started, they shipped things like automotive flywheels, 2 day, for free. For significantly less than local parts stores were asking.

      That had to be brutal, they did fix that.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    23. Re:Amazon Prime can go DiaF by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >So, you cancelled your Amazon Prime subscription at $99 per year because it was getting better with more added services?
      > I guess I'm missing something...

      Yes, yes you are missing something. These 'services' are bloat, unneeded, and un asked for. Therefore Amazon Prime is not getting 'better'. More bloat is not better.

      TL;DR they raised price and improved little. What they added was already there or at least artificially held back now released. decent service but hardly the holy grail of services.

  2. I have Prime and the selection sucks by Nyder · · Score: 1

    Amazon Prime has a long way to go if they want to keep with cable TV. They have a horrible selection of shows and generally it's like 1 or 2 seasons, with you needing to rent/buy the rest. Netflix & Hulu have way more decent content to watch.

    If Amazon Prime wants to be better then cable TV, then they need to start securing better content.

    --
    Be seeing you...
    1. Re:I have Prime and the selection sucks by Razed+By+TV · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Also worth noting that their UI is atrocious.
      I dare you to try to find something to watch.
      It's a struggle to sift out Prime content from rental content from digital purchase content.
      The entire time you're trying to find something, you have to be vigilant to ensure that the things you are looking at are in fact included with Prime. Just browsing to find something interesting isn't an option, like with cable TV.

    2. Re:I have Prime and the selection sucks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

      Also worth noting that their UI is atrocious.

      To be fair here, so is Netflix's.

    3. Re:I have Prime and the selection sucks by radarskiy · · Score: 1

      It's a struggle to sift out Prime content from rental content from digital purchase content.

      Have you tried the "Included with Prime" section of Amazon Video?

    4. Re:I have Prime and the selection sucks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's a struggle to sift out Prime content from rental content from digital purchase content.

      Have you tried the "Included with Prime" section of Amazon Video?

      I haven't look at Amazon Video for months, but I'm going to guess that the "Included with Prime" section is still abysmal.

    5. Re:I have Prime and the selection sucks by coofercat · · Score: 1

      I agree - although Netflix is worse.

      Amazon isn't terrible for stumbling over something you might want to watch. They really, really need to make a way to only show free stuff though (even just a "row" of free stuff would be a good start. They also need the 'profile' feature of Netflix so my kids can look at something age-appropriate (and can't see stuff I'm not going to pay for).

    6. Re:I have Prime and the selection sucks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Amazon Prime has a long way to go if they want to keep with cable TV. They have a horrible selection of shows and generally it's like 1 or 2 seasons, with you needing to rent/buy the rest. Netflix & Hulu have way more decent content to watch.

      If Amazon Prime wants to be better then cable TV, then they need to start securing better content.

      That's why I canceled right before the cost went up to $99/year. I only had it for the free shipping as I had moved into my first house and needed a lot of things that I didn't already have to bring with me so it was convenient. However the show selection did suck in that they nickel and dimed you wanting extra money for everything beyond the small amount of shows that were included in the regular subscription.

    7. Re:I have Prime and the selection sucks by myowntrueself · · Score: 1

      Also worth noting that their UI is atrocious.

      I dare you to try to find something to watch.

      It's a struggle to sift out Prime content from rental content from digital purchase content.

      The entire time you're trying to find something, you have to be vigilant to ensure that the things you are looking at are in fact included with Prime. Just browsing to find something interesting isn't an option, like with cable TV.

      Amazon Prime told me that its top movies were Waterworld and Salt. Its as if they have no clue at all.

      --
      In the free world the media isn't government run; the government is media run.
    8. Re:I have Prime and the selection sucks by myowntrueself · · Score: 1

      It's a struggle to sift out Prime content from rental content from digital purchase content.

      Have you tried the "Included with Prime" section of Amazon Video?

      I haven't look at Amazon Video for months, but I'm going to guess that the "Included with Prime" section is still abysmal.

      I don't know. If you call Waterworld and Salt abysmal then I guess so...

      --
      In the free world the media isn't government run; the government is media run.
    9. Re:I have Prime and the selection sucks by omfglearntoplay · · Score: 1

      Agreed, their video search bites pretty bad. The interface (on the playstation 3) is extra extra slow now b/c if you go to the "right" it takes time to load, and if that was an accident, you have to wait 5 or 10 seconds to go back to the "left" where the lists are. HATE IT.

      With Netflix, they also screwed when they updated the Playstation 3 app/prog a year or two ago, so that you can't "page sideways" through lists with the fastforward buttons (I use the PS3 remote).

      Two things I do like on Amazon though:

      1. "Customers also watched" tab for similar movies or similar actors. Love this to get slightly random options.

      2. Amazon Prime Music. I LOVE this stuff... naturally it's easier to deal with b/c I just use my PC to search their website then add tons of stuff to my music list.

  3. Prime is awesome by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Lovin it!

  4. Subscribers vs. Popular by madsenj37 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Subscribers does not mean popular. It comes with flat rate shipping. This is not comparable to just cable, Netflix, Hulu, etc. The selection is awful sparing a few shows and movies, I never look to Amazon for my streaming entertainment.

    --
    Choosing the lesser of two evils is a choice for evil.
    1. Re:Subscribers vs. Popular by Dunbal · · Score: 1

      Agreed. I have Amazon prime since I live in Latin America and Amazon is pretty much the only way I can buy many US products not available here overseas. The free 2nd day shipping for $99/yr means I can usually get my stuff within a week after mail forwarding and customs and with the amount of stuff I buy it gets paid for very quickly. I've looked at their tv shows/movies and frankly the selection is a lot worse than Netflix - PLUS they do region locking for many titles so I simply can't view most of their content overseas even if I want to pay.

      --
      Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
    2. Re:Subscribers vs. Popular by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Subscribers does not mean popular. It comes with flat rate shipping.

      Wow, you read TFS!

      The implication here is not that Amazon's Prime Video service is more popular than TV; the main reason most people subscribe to Amazon Prime is still the fast delivery of products.

      The point isn't that Amazon Prime Video is more popular than cable. The point is that Amazon Prime as a thing is more popular than cable. It's like saying something is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Great how? Answer, popularity.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    3. Re:Subscribers vs. Popular by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The only reason why I have Amazon Prime was to watch "The Grand Tour". I will gladly pay for another years subscription to watch it again for Season 2 When it starts in October.

      Nathan

  5. Correction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Amazon Prime et. al. ARE cable tv. Not a damn thing has changed but the players.

  6. Prediction for Fire TV by Kohath · · Score: 1

    Amazon gives up on pushing Fire TV devices and makes a deal with Apple for Apple TV to be the main standalone Prime Video access device. This happens in September or October this year when Apple announces the new 4K Apple TV.

    1. Re:Prediction for Fire TV by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      So you think, if and when Apple TV catches up, Amazon will just drop out of the market? Why? Makes no sense. They've already got a superior product and are a year ahead based on product release dates.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    2. Re:Prediction for Fire TV by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 1

      It sounds like they are saying that when Apple TV goes live with this new Amazon Prime, the Amazon Prime Video app on my android tablet will get nerfed or simply shitcanned. If and when that happens is when I'll decide if I want to continue with Amazon Prime. I definitely won't buy the Apple product to continue if that happens.

    3. Re:Prediction for Fire TV by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      also in the news pigs will be flying backwards! I don't use or like Amazon but why the fuck would they give up market domination to be locked into a niche that forces them to give up huge amounts of control with for no reason.

    4. Re:Prediction for Fire TV by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Apple are a competitor to so many of their services, I can't see Amazon giving up any part of a dominate market position to a niche player (yes apple are huge but not in this market they aren't).

    5. Re:Prediction for Fire TV by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Unlikely. There are a lot of people who don't bah like sheep and not sucked into the apple ecosystem. Look at the numbers of android phones shipped compared to iOS devices. Sure apple may be #1 in profits from their iOS devices, but not in actual units shipped. Just shows how much of a profit margin they are taking compared to other handset makers who are actually spending more per device on the hardware and actually innovating. Unlike apple of late who just me toos everything and spins it like they just invented it. I cant wait to see how they spin OLED displays when they release them in their next iteration, When Samsung devices have had these screens going on at least 5 years now. Their sheep will suck it up like their sucking from the momma sheep's teet and stumble over each other to fork over $1200 for a device that probably costs apple about $300 to make. Don't even get me started on their MacBook "Pro" line which is hardly pro at all. Took them till this year to release something which is low end enthusiast grade which doesn't deserve to be called "Pro" at all. No upgrades either. you better max that bitch out up front and pay something like $6000 for the equivalent you can get in a regular PC laptop for about $2-3K

    6. Re:Prediction for Fire TV by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Amazon gives up on pushing Fire TV devices and makes a deal with Apple for Apple TV to be the main standalone Prime Video access device. This happens in September or October this year when Apple announces the new 4K Apple TV.

      That's retarded. The Apple TV starts at $110 more than I paid for the Amazon Fire TV stick.

    7. Re:Prediction for Fire TV by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why would apple TV support 4k? What I hear from apple fanatics 4K is a gimmick.

    8. Re:Prediction for Fire TV by Kohath · · Score: 1

      Every Amazon device was highly promoted on Prime Day, but the Fire TV didn't get mentioned at all. Meanwhile at Apple's WWDC in June, a new refresh of Apple TV for the fall was mentioned along with Amazon's TV apps on Apple TV. Add these together and you get my prediction.

      Apple TV has big market share. An alliance between Apple and Amazon on streaming video would be advantageous to both companies.

    9. Re:Prediction for Fire TV by FictionPimp · · Score: 1

      Amazon had prime day deals on their new TV's with amazon fire built in. In fact a 50 inch 4k tv with a sound bar, antenna, and firetv built in for $399 is an amazing deal.

    10. Re:Prediction for Fire TV by Kohath · · Score: 1

      Yeah, but that's useless for people who aren't buying a new TV. A lot more people would buy a Fire TV stick or a Fire TV box, but Amazon wasn't very interested in selling those products yesterday.

    11. Re:Prediction for Fire TV by Kohath · · Score: 1

      also in the news pigs will be flying backwards! I don't use or like Amazon but why the fuck would they give up market domination to be locked into a niche that forces them to give up huge amounts of control with for no reason.

      For a special deal with Apple that gives Amazon most of what they want. For better access to people who actually spend money rather than trying to get things for free and then buying the cheapest thing available when there's no free version.

      Amazon doesn't have "market domination" on streaming video. Amazon trails Netflix and HBO and Comcast and Charter in the US. They're also nowhere near the leader in non-US markets. An alliance with Apple would be a big boost to both companies. It especially helps Amazon overseas.

      Tim Cook already said the Amazon app is coming to Apple TV along more Apple TV stuff in the fall. So there's already a deal of some sort.

    12. Re:Prediction for Fire TV by FictionPimp · · Score: 1

      The fire stick is popular enough they don't need to. The last time I was in best buy there was a limit of 2 per customer.

    13. Re:Prediction for Fire TV by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      Apple TV has 5%. Fire TV has 12%, Roku has 18%. https://9to5mac.com/2017/04/03...

      He's dead, the reality distortion field has collapsed, get on with it.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    14. Re:Prediction for Fire TV by James+Carnley · · Score: 1

      Apple TV is one of the least popular streaming devices out there. Amazon giving Apple exclusivity for Prime Video would not be an equitable trade and Apple would be paying out the nose for that kind of deal.

    15. Re:Prediction for Fire TV by squiggleslash · · Score: 1

      I'm not really understanding why. As others have pointed out, AppleTV is pretty much a non-player in the market. Prime Sticks are selling like crazy, and Roku (the major neutral platform) has been out in a 4k version for quite a while.

      If they were to partner with someone, Roku would make more sense. They already do, in a way, in that the default remote includes Amazon as a one-touch button; Roku also highlights a single content provider (currently Fandango) on their core user interface. Presumably Apple could bid for that role fairly successfully.

      --
      You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
    16. Re:Prediction for Fire TV by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      Apple customers are chumps. You're finally right about something.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    17. Re:Prediction for Fire TV by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      is that including TV's with the Roku software built in or just stand alone boxes?

    18. Re:Prediction for Fire TV by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No one really cares what you do. The nerd niche is so small that it's a rounding error when you're the size of Amazon.

    19. Re:Prediction for Fire TV by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      Yes.

      You see the same link I do...I'd guess it was based on statistics gathered from places like Amazon and Netflix. If so, it's based on what the player identifies itself as.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  7. How many are using videos though? by SuperKendall · · Score: 1

    Although I've been a Prime member for many years, I've watched a handful of videos on Prime over the years - so comparing them to cable subscribers is I feel really stretching things. I feel like there is no way they have the viewership that Netflix does...

    The Prime video app is really not good. It also doesn't help they have no AppleTV app (but they are about to change that). I'm sure slowly over time viewership will ramp up, but they are not there yet...

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  8. In other news... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... Amazon Prime has more subscribers than there are households with 3 dogs. Should I go on comparing things that are almost completely unrelated?

  9. Yeah, but CATV competition is like by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    "They don't like paying over $100/month for a pretty basic package loaded with useless channels? Fuck 'em. Watch them cry when they invite friends over to their house."

    "They didn't pay their bill on time? Fuck 'em. Cut off their service immediately, even if the big game was on."

    "They're having service problems? We'll send someone over at OUR convenience. They better be home all day because our guys have lots of stops to make and they can't make appointments."

    "They want to cancel their service? Don't let them. Turn them over to sales reps armed with scripts that will given them some short-term discount so they'll stay, and don't take no for an answer."

  10. Conflation. by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 3, Funny

    This conflates accessibility with actual use under the term "popularity". I have yet to hear anyone say, "hey, did you watch that show on Amazon Prime?" but I've heard plenty of people talking about stuff on cable tv. Similarly, I have yet to hear anyone talk about how they eat their own shit for dinner despite 100% of people having access to their own shit. -_-

    --
    Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
    1. Re:Conflation. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Whatever happened to that new PeeWee Herman movie Amazon was doing? Heard a lot of hype for it, but it must have sucked cuz after it got released never heard one word about it again.

    2. Re:Conflation. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That was Netflix. It's called "Pee-wee's Big Holiday."

      https://www.netflix.com/title/80031800

    3. Re:Conflation. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      The story simply states that the number of Amazon Prime subscribers will soon surpass the number of cable subscribers. It doesn't say anything about how much those people use the service.

      Hey, did you watch that show on Amazon Prime The Man in the High Castle?

      There, now you've heard it so shut your needlessly pedantic bitch mouth.

    4. Re:Conflation. by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      The Man in the High Castle is pretty good. Season 1 was a little slow, but season 2 was excellent.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    5. Re:Conflation. by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      Nazi environmentalists on acid was a cool twist.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  11. More Popular Than Cable TV! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Seriously? Dude, syphilis is more popular than Cable TV.

  12. Won't last by HalAtWork · · Score: 1

    You get it with Amazon Prime now but in the future it will become tiered

    --
    Twinstiq, game news
    1. Re:Won't last by Gilgaron · · Score: 1

      I recall an article somewhere that quoted Bezos as stating that he wanted to make it such a value that not being an Amazon Prime member would seem "irresponsible", so I doubt they'll tier anymore than they have to.

    2. Re:Won't last by squiggleslash · · Score: 1

      They already do to a certain extent, there's a free tier of music streaming that comes with Prime, but a more Rhapsody like service available for a subscription fee. Given they're also selling HBO (and a few other) subscriptions, I can easily see them creating a premium video content collection package.

      --
      You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
  13. Are you popular? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The more popular it becomes, the more I'll hate it.

  14. More popular, eh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Better invite Amazon Prime to a weenie roast. Hope she doesn't ride around with boys in cars at night.

  15. Considering Amazon shipping is so slow... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    No. They'll just keep losing customers. The last thing I ordered with Prime was a microwave with guaranteed same day delivery. It was eight days before I received it.

    1. Re: Considering Amazon shipping is so slow... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      My last order from Amazon took nineteen weeks. I will never order from the, again.

    2. Re: Considering Amazon shipping is so slow... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      For me, it took seven weeks to receive my last Prime order. Amazon is garbage since they started selling garbage instead of just books.

    3. Re: Considering Amazon shipping is so slow... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That isn't too bad. My last order took over four months.

    4. Re: Considering Amazon shipping is so slow... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Eight days isn't bad since most Prime shipping takes weeks.

    5. Re: Considering Amazon shipping is so slow... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Amazon usually takes weeks for shipping.

    6. Re: Considering Amazon shipping is so slow... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You must be young because most things used to take 6-9 weeks shipping.

    7. Re: Considering Amazon shipping is so slow... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Freaking special millennials think shipping shouldn't take months. They are special snowflakes.

    8. Re: Considering Amazon shipping is so slow... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      My last amazon.com order took almost that long.

    9. Re: Considering Amazon shipping is so slow... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And why would any person think it should take less than that?

    10. Re: Considering Amazon shipping is so slow... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This. Amazon is marginally better than the old slow mail order companies.

    11. Re: Considering Amazon shipping is so slow... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I live in the Seattle area, and my last three orders were supposed to be shipped same day. I think the soonest one I received took sixteen days. Amazon is just terrible.

    12. Re: Considering Amazon shipping is so slow... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This. Amazon is a little better than six week shipping.

    13. Re: Considering Amazon shipping is so slow... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This. They don't understand how things used to be. Amazon's usual six+ week shipping is better than we used to have it.

    14. Re: Considering Amazon shipping is so slow... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This. Prime means faster. It doesn't mean less than several weeks.

    15. Re: Considering Amazon shipping is so slow... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Correct. The last thing I ordered next day air from Amazon too nearly five weeks.

    16. Re: Considering Amazon shipping is so slow... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Amazon will never grow as long as they take weeks to ship.

    17. Re: Considering Amazon shipping is so slow... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They were so much better when they just sold books. Now waiting three months on shipping isn't that abnormal.

    18. Re: Considering Amazon shipping is so slow... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      About the same experience here. Paying for next day air shouldn't take over a month.

    19. Re: Considering Amazon shipping is so slow... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This. Next day air should take less than a week.

    20. Re: Considering Amazon shipping is so slow... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not bad from what I've seen. Most same day shipments I've done in the Seattle area took almost two weeks.

    21. Re: Considering Amazon shipping is so slow... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As seen on TV?

    22. Re: Considering Amazon shipping is so slow... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Slow shipping problems are killing amazon.com. Our stock price would be much higher if we could get our act together.

    23. Re:Considering Amazon shipping is so slow... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No. They'll just keep losing customers. The last thing I ordered with Prime was a microwave with guaranteed same day delivery. It was eight days before I received it.

      That was my experience with their "same" day delivery. It was usually slower than UPS ground.

    24. Re:Considering Amazon shipping is so slow... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > keep losing customers

      And, that is what is not going to stop until they make an effort to try to ship faster. newegg.com can be slow at times, but amazon.com ls almost always slow. Plus, the last time I dealt with them for a return was just ridiculously painful.

    25. Re: Considering Amazon shipping is so slow... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Slow shipping problems are killing amazon.com. Our stock price would be much higher if we could get our act together.

      Have several friends that work there, and they're embarrassed by all of their shipping problems. The company needs to start trying.

    26. Re: Considering Amazon shipping is so slow... by myowntrueself · · Score: 1

      Not bad from what I've seen. Most same day shipments I've done in the Seattle area took almost two weeks.

      This is Seattle, so to be fair their Internet is probably dialup and it took 2 weeks for them to catch up with the backlog of orders they get via their online system.

      --
      In the free world the media isn't government run; the government is media run.
    27. Re:Considering Amazon shipping is so slow... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I keep thinking this comments are a joke that's gone over my head but...

      Back in February, I was ordering supplies in preparation of winding down my side business. My last order of printer paper, packing tape, and colored pens, plus a 3-ring binder for all of my paperwork. All showed in stock at the time the order was placed.

      The binder was a $3 add-on item to get over the hump for free shipping. Damn them, they just wouldn't deliver it. A month I waited. During that month, Amazon stole $120 from me by siding with a liar buyer even though I had delivery confirmation, a non-responsive customer, and an open postal investigation. So I called and demanded to know where the hell my binder was because Amazon exempts themselves from A-Z claims.

      I called them because three times I had clicked the "e-mail me" button and not received a response at all despite promising one within 12 hours. The foreign CS agent who handled the call pretended it was in stock and would be shipped express and arrive by Friday. Monday came and went before it was marked as delayed again.

      Then Amazon presented the option to cancel it or keep waiting. Except cancellation doesn't work. It just does nothing with no error message at all. I think it was because of the add-on item but their H1Bs just can't program anything they're not explicitly told how to program so forget edge cases or error handling. Meanwhile, I was spammed every other day about needing to make a decision.

      49 days in, Amazon cancelled the order themselves. They couldn't deliver a fucking 3-ring binder. And these clowns are going to put everyone else out of business? I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

    28. Re: Considering Amazon shipping is so slow... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      the longest I've had an order take was 6 days, I placed the order on Friday evening and it arrived on Wednesday. I was a little annoyed because I opted for the 2 day shipping as a prime member.

  16. And so Begins the End of a Great Country by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Good bye, USA. Was (well, most of it, anyway) nice while you were around.

    Especially the end-sixties were a rush.

    Snif.

  17. They can "lose" money to keep a customer loyal by raymorris · · Score: 1

    > I'd be very surprised if Amazon profited off of literally every
    > Prime subscription vs. users just getting the same stuff a la carte. They have to offer Prime to those people as an opportunity cost to get Prime to others.

    They can, and perhaps do, "lose" money in that most customers, prime gets them less than what ala carte shipping would get them for the same items. Prime isn't, and shouldn't be, valued that way by Amazon.

    The point, I think, is that ala carte customers will buy a few items from Amazon, a few from Walmart, some from eBay, few from Tiger Direct, some from Crutchfield ... Ala carte customers can easily drift away from using Amazon at all. Once people pay $99 for Prime, they are likely to go to Amazon first for almost all online purchases. That, I think, is the point of Amazon Prime. The main value for Amazon isn't getting the $99, it's havimg a customer committed to Amazon.

    1. Re:They can "lose" money to keep a customer loyal by Wycliffe · · Score: 1

      > I'd be very surprised if Amazon profited off of literally every
      > Prime subscription vs. users just getting the same stuff a la carte. They have to offer Prime to those people as an opportunity cost to get Prime to others.

      They can, and perhaps do, "lose" money in that most customers, prime gets them less than what ala carte shipping would get them for the same items. Prime isn't, and shouldn't be, valued that way by Amazon.

      The point, I think, is that ala carte customers will buy a few items from Amazon, a few from Walmart, some from eBay, few from Tiger Direct, some from Crutchfield ... Ala carte customers can easily drift away from using Amazon at all. Once people pay $99 for Prime, they are likely to go to Amazon first for almost all online purchases. That, I think, is the point of Amazon Prime. The main value for Amazon isn't getting the $99, it's havimg a customer committed to Amazon.

      Exactly. If the average customer pays $99 for prime but then because of that sunk cost buys a majority of their stuff from amazon, even if it costs Amazon $150 worth of shipping on average for that customer, they still were able to "buy" and lock in a loyal customer for only $51 per year. The other offerings like video are just ways to tip the scale so people pay the $99. Once people pay the $99 even if it's for video and not for the shipping, they have something they paid for so are likely to want to "get their money's worth" and shop Amazon first.

  18. Disagree - I dumped Amazon by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Their prices are HIGHER than I can easily find elsewhere, and their prices aren't consistent.

    Wal-Mart: 1
    Amazon: 0

    1. Re:Disagree - I dumped Amazon by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Same. Made my first order from Walmart this week. Free two day shipping without having to sign up for any bullshit subscriptions, and it got here in one day! And you're right, Walmart is cheaper.

  19. Its a good value,Prime Day is a racket by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    As a Prime customer I bought nothing yesterday. To me Prime Day is for the impulse buyer, the one who can't balance need versus want. Its a great day for Amazon to move out old products, poor sellers, and spur on those impulse buyers. Its not much different then having a holiday that does the same thing. Only the middle of the year is exactly what a retailer needs in terms of Prime Day. Those who say Prime is too expensive have not calculated their costs of shipping lately. But obviously if you do not buy a lot online I would say Prime is probably not for you. I live 30 miles plus from any retail store so ordering online is a given for me. Spending gas money vs free shipping plus getting product a bit cheaper is logical.

  20. twitch.tv is cool by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    twitch.tv is cool and the system is interesting and makes it so a lot of regular folk can engage with people live.....its great aspect for gaming and games are far more entertaining then anything cable or movie wise that comes out

  21. Pretty Soon by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Yup. Pretty soon your wives are going to be sleeping with the Amazon drone. Just like the milk man did to our wives back then. Only way you can do away with him is to kill Amazon drone. But then again, you wouldn't do that. Yup. Better just let Amazon drone do whatever he wants. Maybe he'll get bored of sleeping with your wives. Yup.

  22. So much whining... by clarkholmes · · Score: 1

    I get that most only have Prime for the shipping, but Prime Video isn't as horrible as all that. There's plenty of overlap with Netflix (which I have sub to as well) but I use it and like it. It's interface *used* to be somewhat lacking, to put it charitably, but it's improved immensely over the time I've been subscriber.

  23. I find it humorous.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I find it humorous that this story was posted on the same day that Amazon had their "Prime Day". #adverts #spam

  24. Amazon Prime by p51d007 · · Score: 1

    Love it. I HATE driving somewhere to get something that I don't "have to have" right now. Prime, it's here in a couple days. Plus, I think I've watched about every documentary on WW2, WW1, Civil war, etc on Prime video they have this past winter, or when the weather is bad.