Amazon has plans to sell some of its original Prime Video content to other streaming platforms. In a Monday press release (via Variety), the company announced that it is creating Amazon MGM Studios Distribution to handle the placement of its shows and movies on third-party services, including The wonderful Mrs. Maisel, Hunters, All old knivesand more.
This means that some of the shows and movies that were once exclusives to Prime Video could end up on cable networks and other streaming services, including those that offer free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) and ad-based video-on-demand (AVOD). to offer. While Amazon has licensed its content to other services in the past, the creation of a dedicated division indicates the company is looking to make a bigger leap in content distribution as streamers struggle to reach new audiences.
The media distribution arm builds on the existing MGM distribution team that Amazon took control of after acquiring the entertainment giant last year. Chris Ottinger, who led MGM’s distribution division, will also head Amazon MGM Studios Distribution, which will continue to license MGM’s content, such as The Handmaid’s Tale, Rocky, BeliefAnd James Bond franchises.
Amazon’s move to sell more of its content comes amid a Hollywood writers’ strike
“Pioneering Amazon Originals distribution for Amazon Studios is an exciting opportunity to bring new, never-before-available quality content to audiences around the world,” Ottinger said in a statement. “With this, we break the current mold of sales by creating tailor-made packages that meet our customer’s individual content needs.”
But Amazon’s move to sell more of its content comes amid a writers’ strike that has brought Hollywood productions to a halt. This move toward syndication could impact writers’ pay in the future, as the residuals writers earn on content for streaming services have become a huge bone of contention in the strike. (Disclosure: The editorial team at Vox Media, inclusive The edgeis also affiliated with the Writers Guild of America, East.)