Amazon’s year-in-review press release revealed that the eCommerce giant shipped five billion packages last year. The release also provided a preview of Amazon’s new strategy for streaming video.
Prime Video Successes
Amazon’s huge audience turned out in droves at the end of the year. December 30 was Amazon’s busiest streaming day of 2017 as millions of people watched shows like The Grand Tour.
Amazon’s size and global footprint let it negotiate a global distribution deal with the National Football League. More than 17 million people worldwide watched Amazon’s broadcast of Thursday Night Football.
Amazon to Netflix: You Shall Not Pass
These high-level numbers are the tip of the iceberg. A series of developments last year indicate that Amazon’s video strategy is still ramping up:
TechCrunch reported that Amazon Studio’s $4.5 billion production budget is set to increase in 2018.
Variety reported that the production strategy will shift towards genre properties including adaptations of Larry Niven’s sci-fi novel Ringworld and Greg Rucka’s comic Lazarus.
Amazon signed a deal with J.R.R. Tolkien’s estate to produce a TV series based on The Lord of the Rings and a deal with Agatha Christie’s estate to produce period mysteries.
Add to that Amazon Video’s expansion to Apple TV, the introduction of a 4K Fire-based LCD TV, and its on-going support for independent filmmakers and it’s obvious Amazon’s on pace for even more streaming success in 2018.
Chris Casper is a former tech industry product manager who escaped from California for New Mexico. Now he writes about science and tech while searching for the perfect green chile sauce.
