Amazon has just developed a new video upload system called Amazon Video Direct. The new service launched today and seeks to compete against YouTube for user generated videos.
Uploaded videos will be available to rent or own, to view free with ads, or be packaged together and offered as an add-on subscription. Amazon will pay content creators 50% of the revenue earned from rental receipts or sale of the videos, according to the company’s license agreement. For ad-supported videos, the creators will get half of the net ad receipts.
In order to have enough content to facilitate a proper launch, Amazon has signed up several partners for the service, including Conde Nast Entertainment, the Guardian, tech blog Mashable and toymaker Mattel.
Amazon Video Direct content will be displayed on the Amazon Video site alongside studio-created TV shows and movies. It is important to note that the submission process is only available to professionals. The intention behind this service is to give people another reason to subscribe to Amazon Prime or the new monthly Amazon Video standalone service.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
