Watch your back, YouTube! Amazon is jumping into the user-generated video market, as of today!
Amazon has announced its latest service, Amazon Video Direct, which launched earlier today in the U.S., the United Kingdom, Japan, Austria, and Germany, with more territories to come. Amazon Video Direct will be available to its pre-existing Amazon Prime customers across all platforms that can access Prime.
According to Amazon, content creators can use Amazon Video Direct to monetize their videos by charging viewers a one-time rental, a downloaded purchase, or even a subscription fee to view them without ads. There is also the option to show the videos to Amazon Prime members for free if they watch it with ads. Amazon is also unveiling its own revenue sharing program called Amazon Video Direct Stars. Reportedly, that will allow content creators a chance to earn royalties and monthly bonuses based on performance.
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“It’s an amazing time to be a content creator,” said Amazon Video’s Jim Freeman. “There are more options for distribution than ever before and with Amazon Video Direct, for the first time, there’s a self-service option for video providers to get their content into a premium streaming subscription service. We’re excited to make it even easier for content creators to find an audience, and for that audience to find great content.”
It remains to be seen if Amazon can truly challenge YouTube’s dominance in online videos, but several companies have already been lined up with Amazon Video Direct’s launch including Machinima, Mashable, HowStuffWorks, and Samuel Goldwyn Films.
You can check out Amazon Video Direct by clicking on this link. Let us know what you think!
