Amazon takes on Netflix with rebrand of LoveFilm video-on-demand service

Online retailer will fold film and TV rental arm into its Prime subscription service for combined price of £79 a yearAmazon is hitting back at Netflix in the UK by rebranding its LoveFilm video-on-demand service.LoveFilm, bought out by Amazon three years ago in a deal worth nearly £200m, will be folded into the online retailer's British website next week, creating a one-stop service for digital streaming, DVD rental and books."Consumers will be able to shop for what they want, read what they want and watch they want anywhere at any time," said Tim Leslie, vice-president of Amazon Instant Video for the UK and Germany.LoveFilm, which offers streaming of television series such as The Walking Dead and hit films such as The Place Beyond the Pines and Wall-E, will be merged with the Amazon Prime subscription service, which gives members perks including unlimited free delivery and borrowing up to 500,000 Kindle ebooks.Existing subscribers will get access to the new LoveFilm service, to be called Prime Instant Video, which will have the effect of enabling Amazon to leapfrog Netflix as the UK's biggest digital TV and film streaming business.Amazon aims to offer a broader service than Netflix, which supplies mostly older programming, by including the option of digitally renting or purchasing 50,000 new releases such as Captain Phillips and Game of Thrones."Even if you have another service you are going to want our service," said Leslie. "It is the only place you are going to be... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2014-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]

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Macmillan Reaches Amazon Deal, Will Try Subscription Services

In a letter sent to authors, illustrators and agents today, Macmillan CEO John Sargent said the company reached a sales agreement with Amazon last week for ebooks and print books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-12-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Experts demand urgent overhaul of England’s public library service

Report says libraries are at a crossroads and calls for national strategy and government investment in digital resources such as Wi-Fi• Library usage falls significantly as services shrink• Authors claim victory after Liverpool drops library closure plansAlison FloodLibraries are a “golden... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-12-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #digital resources #government investment #national strategy #government-commissioned report


Scribd Takes On Amazon's Audible With All-You-Can-Listen Audiobooks

The subscription service is adding 30,000 recorded books to the half-million ebooks it already offers.Thirteen months ago, San Francisco startup Scribd launched a service which aims to do for books what Netflix does for movies and TV shows. It offers a large-but-not-utterly-comprehensive... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2014-11-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #reading material #specific book #android devices #tv shows #scribd takes #subscription service


Tamblyn takes to Twitter to give his views on Amazon

Kobo’s president has launched a Twitter tirade about why indie authors should beware of Amazon’s supplier negotiation tactics. Michael Tamblyn, president and chief content officer of the Canada-based ebook company, took to social media today (17th October) to warn self-published authors in 32... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-10-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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NYT Public Editor Takes on Amazon-HBG Coverage

Coverage of the dispute between Amazon and the Hachette Book Group by the 'New York Times' made its way into the Sunday column of Margaret Sullivan, the paper's public editor. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-10-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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NAIBA 2014: Taking on Amazon

The keynote address, a conversation between Franklin Foer and Andrew Keen, looked at how the mega-retailer has changed the dynamics by turing "the citizen" into "the consumer," and trying to position booksellers as "dinosaurs." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-09-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon's Russell Grandinetti: Kindle champ takes on the books trade | Observer profile

Why are some of the world's most widely read authors now at daggers drawn with Amazon? The answer lies in Jeff Bezos's chief lieutenant, now the most powerful man in publishingEarlier this year, Amazon threw a party at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York to celebrate the launch of Alpha... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-08-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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George Orwell estate 'appalled and wryly' amused at Amazon's 'doublespeak' (+video)

'This is about as close as one can get to the Ministry of Truth and its doublespeak: turning the facts inside out to get a piece of propaganda across,' Bill Hamilton, executor of the Orwell estate, said. Amazon recently wrote a letter criticizing publisher Hachette, with which it is engaged in a... Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-08-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #paperback books #orwell quote #ebook prices #orwell estate #bill hamilton #facts inside


Amazon misrepresents Orwell and takes on Disney, as the pricing war intensifies

In a statement about its dispute with publisher Hachette, Amazon cited '1984' author George Orwell – while failing to understand the author's words, critics charged. Meanwhile, Amazon appears to be entering into a dispute with Disney. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-08-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon vs Hachette: readers and authors take sides in publishing dispute

The tussle between Amazon and the publishing conglomerate has been raging since spring. Heres an update on the fightA corporate boxing match broke from the ring and swelled into all-out rumpus last weekend, as readers and authors took sides in Amazon and Hachettes fight over the publishing... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-08-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #lower price #giant corporations #contract negotiations #online retailer


Bestselling authors take out full-page New York Times ad against Amazon

Stephen King and Donna Tartt among those petitioning Amazon to 'stop harming the livelihood of the authors'Readers of the New York Times will have to steel themselves this weekend, as the unseemly brawl between Hachette and Amazon erupts on to the tranquil pages of the Grey Lady. Perhaps the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors take out full-page NYT ad to criticize Amazon

There's no sign that Amazon and Hachette are close to burying their ebook hatchet, which has prompted the authors caught in the middle to speak up. One of those affected, Douglas Preston, penned an open letter to Jeff Bezos, requesting that he... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2014-08-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon launches Kindle Unlimited ebook service

Amazon.com Inc. on Friday introduced Kindle Unlimited, an all-you-can-read ebook subscription service available for $9.99 a month. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2014-07-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon Starts Monthly Subscription Service for Unlimited E-Books

Amazon introduced a $9.99- a-month service for unlimited Kindle ebook downloads, letting customers devour books like they binge on TV services like Netflix and Amazon Prime.Kindle Unlimited includes more than 600,000 Kindle books and thousands of audiobooks from Audible Inc., Amazon said today... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2014-07-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon unveils Kindle Unlimited, an ebook subscription service

Amazon entered the ebook subscription market Friday by launching Kindle Unlimited, a Netflix-like subscription service for ebooks available for $9.99 a month.  Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2014-07-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Will Amazon offer an unlimited ebook and audiobook service?

Some Amazon users spotted an ad for a Kindle Unlimited service, which would let users access as many ebook and audio titles as they wanted (within a certain library) for $9.99 a month. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-07-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #audio titles #users access #audiobook service


Amazon Tests Kindle Unlimited, Its Own E-book Subscription Service

The $9.99 monthly service offers access to more than 600,000 books and audiobooks.Now the go-to place for electronics, groceries, and pretty much everything else, Amazon's e-commerce empire was built atop books. The site hasn't forgotten about its roots--it is reportedly testing an ebook and... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2014-07-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon testing Netflix-style $9.99 'Kindle Unlimited' subscription for ebooks

But remember: All-you-can-eat subscriptions are only appetizing if there's delicious stuff in the buffet. Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2014-07-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon 'testing ebook/audio subscription service'

Amazon appears to be testing an ebook and audiobook subscription programme in the US called... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-07-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon Tests Its Own E-Book Subscription Service

Amazon is quietly testing its own subscription ebook service, Kindle Unlimited, which will reportedly cost $9.99 per month and include over 600,000 titles. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-07-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #kindle unlimited