Amazon says Video Direct is a new way for content creators to reach millions of customers. The service is open to every current Amazon user in several different formats. Creators will be able to make their videos completely free, profiting from ad revenue, available only to subscribers or hidden behind a paywall.
Content will come from anyone who wants to upload it. Amazon is using the same model as Google’s YouTube, letting people bring their own videos to populate the service. Content uploaded to Direct Video will also appear on Amazon’s Prime Video subscription service, bringing more viewers to each video.
To encourage publishers to upload content to the platform, Amazon has announced a new royalty program, Amazon Video Direct Stars. It lets video creators earn a share of $1 million every month based on customer engagement with their content. Each month, Amazon will pay creators a monthly bonus from the funding pool, distributing the money based on the Top 100 Video Direct titles in Prime Video.
Early participants in the program include some major content producers. Conde Nast, HowStuffWorks, Samuel Goldwyn Films, The Guardian, Mashable, Mattel and Business Insider are among the names ready to start uploading video to the service, earning monetary bonuses in return.
“As a major, independently owned and operated motion-picture company, we’re excited to have the ability to distribute our films to Amazon customers around the globe,” said Peter Goldwyn, President of Samuel Goldwyn Films. “With Amazon Video Direct, we have the control to create the unique distribution strategies that reflect the changing ways in which our audiences discover our films. We can seamlessly make all our movies like Hyena Road, Somm: into the Bottle, Havana Motor Club, available to watch when and where our audiences want them. With Amazon Prime Video we have found an amazing home for films like The Benefactor with Richard Gere and Takeshi Miike’s Yakuza Apocalypse.”
Becoming a major rival to YouTube won’t be an easy task but Amazon has demonstrated it can enter existing markets before. Its Prime Video service has grown to be one of the most popular video streaming services. Amazon said it has “tens of millions” of Prime members, an attractive number that will appeal to content creators.
Video makers will be able to release their titles in any country where Amazon Video is currently available and on all the devices and platforms it supports. The range of flexible distribution options are designed to give creators freedom when targeting audiences, making it easier to find new audiences and generate more royalties.
“It’s an amazing time to be a content creator,” said Jim Freeman, Vice President of Amazon Video. “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.”
Amazon Video Direct is available now to all Amazon customers. It is accessible online at videodirect.amazon.com and via the Amazon Video mobile apps. Content creators, storytellers and amateur filmmakers can begin to upload their content today, helping Amazon in its latest attempt to commandeer the entertainment market.
