Showtime and HBO may in many ways be the most natural partners for Amazon; both already use video service providers and other partners to market and sell their standalone video subscription services.
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Though the companies haven’t disclosed the details of their business arrangement, it’s implied that Amazon is helping subsidize the cost of the free broadband by nature of this agreement.
Amazon is reportedly set to add other TV and movie channels to its Prime Instant Video service as it aims to differentiate itself from rivals Netflix and Hulu.
I’m still a little skeptical that the connection will be able to hold up when an entire plane full of people tries to stream movies at once, but JetBlue claims the connection is as fast as you’ll find on the ground.
Earlier this year, we revealed that Amazon was teaming up with budget USA airline JetBlue to let travelers use Amazon’s online video-streaming service without having to pay for in-flight Wi-Fi access. However, it sounds like Amazon isn’t looking to build a full-blown TV service to compete with Sony’s Playstation Vue.
Some passengers may have not experienced all of Amazon’s extra services like video and music.
The system launches today on all Airbus A321 and A320 aircraft later this year, and the system is being developed for JetBlue’s Embraer E190 to roll out sometime in 2016. JetBlue notes that users are free to any device they prefer, including laptops, iOS or Android smartphones and tablets, as well as Amazon’s own Fire products.
The deal expands beyond entertainment content, too.
The convenience is undeniable, and the value proposition isn’t bad – JetBlue normally charges $9 per hour for high-bandwidth Internet access.
Inc. also seeks to develop a technology which will allow its users to log in to other media streaming services with the use of their Amazon credentials. As for the consumer, it’s a nice win in the fight for better in-flight accommodations.
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