Amazon beefs up Prime with A&E Networks deal

Amazon Prime adds shows from A&E, Bio, History, and Lifetime

If you’re not an Amazon Prime member yet, you need to get on the ball. There is no downside. [I can’t even pretend to maintain journalistic objectivity here.]

If you’re already a Prime member, then good news! Amazon is padding out its Prime selection with a bunch of new shows from A&E Networks. Amazon announced Friday that it has signed a content licensing deal with A&E Networks that will bring a bevy of shows from A&E, History, Bio, and Lifetime to Amazon Prime Instant Video.

Amazon hasn’t responded to inquiries from VatorNews, but the company said in a statement that among the lineup will be prior seasons of Pawn Stars, Dance Moms, and Storage Wars. The new additions bring Prime Instant Video’s total to more than 33,000 movies and TV episodes.

“In a year we have more than doubled the Prime Instant Video selection for our Prime members,” said Brad Beale, Director of Digital Video Content Acquisition for Amazon, in a statement. “We remain focused on adding TV episodes and movies to Prime Instant Video that we think our customers will enjoy. A&E Networks has some of the most popular shows on television and we know our customers will love streaming the A&E content with Prime Instant Video.”

2012 was a big year for Amazon Prime. In August, the company struck a deal with NBCUniversal Cable and New Media Distribution to add a bunch of new TV shows to the line-up, including past seasons of Parks and Recreation, Parenthood, Friday Night Lights, Heroes, Battlestar Galactica, and more. Prior to that, it inked a deal with ESPN to bring premium ESPN content to Prime, including the 30 for 30 series of sports docs, such as Pony Express, Winning Time, and Ice Cube’s Straight Outta L.A.

Its biggest deal ever came in March, when Amazon made a deal with Discovery Communications to bring 3,000 new titles to Prime’s selection. Some of the titles included Discovery Channel’s Dirty Jobs, TLC’s Say Yes To The Dress and Animal Planet’s Whale Wars, Cake Boss, Mythbusters. And—of course—Shark Week.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has been shy about tooting Prime’s horn.

“Amazon Prime is now the best bargain in the history of shopping,” he humbly acknowledged in a statement regarding Amazon's second quarter earnings.

Image source: realitytea.com