More bad news for Netflix: On Wednesday, one of the streaming service's chief rivals, Amazon Prime, announced a lucrative new partnership deal with cable company Viacom. The blockbuster deal lets Amazon stream programming from Comedy Central, MTV, and Nickelodeon — including shows like Jersey Shore, Chappelle's Show, and Dora the Explorer — and increases Amazon's streaming library to 15,000 titles. Considering Netflix's recent inability to hold onto crucial content partnerships with companies like Starz, does this deal signal that Amazon is poised to topple Netflix?
Amazon is certainly on the right track: "Amazon Prime is easily one of the best deals you can get online," says E.D. Kain at Forbes, giving customers streaming access to thousands of video titles and free two-day shipping on Amazon goods — all for $79 per year. "I'd gladly cancel my Netflix subscription" and just use Amazon if the latter's streaming library becomes as robust as Netflix's. And at the rate Amazon's going, that could happen soon. "Netflix will need to drastically improve its streaming options if it wants to remain competitive."
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