Amazon Expands Selection of Prime Instant Videos

SEATTLE: Amazon.com has extended its licensing agreement with PBS Distribution to bring Amazon Prime members instant streaming access to shows such as Antiques Roadshow, the NOVA strand and Ken Burns’ doc series.

The deal covers current and archived PBS programming, bringing the total number of Prime instant videos to 12,000 by the end of this year. Members will have access to more than 1,000 episodes of PBS content over the next several months. Titles include NOVA, Masterpiece and Antiques Roadshow, as well as docs such as The Civil War, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, Baseball, Jazz and Prohibition. Prime instant video will also offer PBS news programs, including Frontline and Washington Week, the day after they air. Starting in early November, PBS will offer Prime members 200 episodes from Julia Child’s The French Chef.

"Prime instant video has included great content from PBS since the day it launched and Prime members have told us they want even more—so we are delivering," said Brad Beale, the director of video content acquisition for Amazon. "Our expanded relationship with PBS will bring the total number of titles available for Prime instant video to over 12,000. We are committed to bringing Prime Members and Kindle Fire owners even more compelling content very soon."

“Expanding the reach of our content by making it accessible through digital platforms is a key priority for PBS,” added Jason Seiken, the senior VP of PBS interactive, product development and innovation. “We are already delivering more than 150 million streams of programming across web and mobile apps each month, so we are excited to offer more titles through Prime instant video and ensure that our acclaimed content is available whenever and wherever people want it.”