Amazon recently beefed up its originals library by giving full series orders to two comedy pilots and three children’s programs. Now, the up-and-coming platform has struck a deal with the potential to expand its offerings in both of those areas. Viacom, days after it took many of its shows off of Netflix, has struck a deal that will bring hundreds of those shows to Amazon.
The shows moving to Amazon include Blue’s Clues, Spongebob Squareparts, and Tosh.0. Basically, the most prized programs are children’s shows and comedies–the same genres in which Amazon just greenlit originals. Two of Viacom’s biggest assets are Nickelodeon and Comedy Central, and Amazon may covet more shows from these networks. In particular, I’m sure the platform would love to snap up The Daily Show, which is currently available on Hulu.
Viacom moved the shows to Amazon after it could not renew its deal with Netflix. The newer platform now gains the inside track with a company heavily invested in online content. “We continue to see the digital distribution arena as a growing opportunity and one that will be complementary to what we do,” said Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman. “It’s just growing the pie over time.”
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Amazon presents a strong alternative for media companies that don’t want to deal with Netflix or the currently unstable Hulu, which may soon find its licenses in jeopardy as it looks to get bought up by a larger company. On the platform side of things, Amazon is becoming a real thorn for Netflix, which just learned it doesn’t have as much leverage as it used to.
