A+E Inks Amazon Prime Deal, After Netflix Loses Shows

Amazon's streaming service now offers 33,000-plus titles

By Todd Spangler, Multichannel News -- Broadcasting & Cable, 1/4/2013 4:54:47 PM

Amazon.com announced a content licensing agreement with A+E Networks to add past seasons of series from A&E, bio, History and Lifetime to the online retailer's Prime Instant Video service -- just a few months after Netflix's deal for a chunk of A+E content lapsed.

With the A+E programming Amazon's Prime Instant Video now provides more than 33,000 movies and TV episodes, more than doubling over the past year, for members of the $79 membership program for free two-day shipping. The deal with A+E includes episodes from Pawn Stars, Storage Wars and Dance Moms, which are also available for purchase through Amazon Instant Video.

In September, Netflix's deal for about 40 A+E TV shows and miniseries, representing more than 800 hours of content, expired. Netflix had been asking for exclusive online distribution rights for the A+E content -- something the programmer was not willing to offer, a source familiar with the discussions said at the time.

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