Amazon and EPIX last week announced a multiyear licensing agreement that will add thousands of new releases, classic films and original programs to Amazon Prime Instant Videos, the company’s instant streaming media platform.
EPIX will provide Amazon with titles from its studio partners, which include Viacom, Paramount Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and Lionsgate. The agreement will double the number of titles available to users of Amazon’s Prime Instant Videos service since its launch in September 2011.
“We are investing hundreds of millions of dollars to expand the Prime Instant Video library for our customers. We have now more than doubled this selection of movies and TV episodes to over 25,000 titles in just under a year,” said Bill Carr, VP of video and music at Amazon.
The agreement will make movies like “The Avengers,” “Iron Man 2” and “The Hunger Games” available to Prime Instant Videos customers for instant viewing on their Kindle Fire platforms, laptop computers, iPads and other devices.
The deal creates a major challenge for Netflix, which once had its own exclusive agreement with EPIX.
“This partnership is yet another great example of EPIX’s ability to broaden our reach through a digital platform, underscoring the incredible value of the EPIX content offering,” said Mark Greenberg, president and CEO of EPIX.
