Viacom Inks Broad Net-Video Pact With Amazon

Deal brings retailer's prime instant videos to more than 15,000 titles

By Todd Spangler, Multichannel News -- Broadcasting & Cable, 2/8/2012 1:21:55 PM

Turning up the heat on Netflix, Amazon.com announced a licensing agreement with Viacom that will allow members of its Amazon Prime free-shipping program to stream over the Internet "thousands" of TV shows from its cable networks, including MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, TV Land, Spike, VH1, BET, CMT and Logo.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. All of the TV show content licensed under the agreement is from prior seasons, according to Viacom.

With the Viacom content, Amazon Prime Instant Videos will now offer more than 15,000 titles. The service, which is currently available to members of the online retailer's $79-per-year free two-day shipping program, can be accessed via more than 300 different devices. Amazon's Kindle Fire tablet, introduced last fall, includes one free month of the Prime service.

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