Amazon is planning to debut a free video streaming service, according to a story in the Wall Street Journal.
The service would be available to anyone, and could include Amazon’s original programming as well as licensed content. Amazon’s original show, like the series Betas, are currently only available to Amazon Prime customers who shell out $99 per year for unlimited streaming and two-day on Amazon orders delivery.
Amazon’s new focus on video content could also include free music videos. Of course, there’s no such thing as a free lunch—all of this content will likely be supported with advertizing.
It’s unclear how exactly the ads will be delivered, but the WSJ’s Greg Bensinger suggested that Amazon could either create a special section with ads for the service or run one long ad in front of content in the style of YouTube (or at regular intervals in the style of Hulu.)
For Amazon’s other services like Kindle, paying for the Prime subscription fee makes the ads go away. That could also be the case for video content. The service is supposed to launch within the next few months, although the exact date is unknown.
Update: Amazon has denied the Wall Street Journal report that it has plans to offer free, streaming video.
H/T Wall Street Journal | Photo via Tim Wilson/Flickr
