AMAZON AND CBS CORPORATION ANNOUNCE CONTENT LICENSING AGREEMENT FOR PRIME INSTANT VIDEO TO BE EXCLUSIVE ONLINE SUBSCRIPTION HOME FOR CBS'S "UNDER THE DOME"
New TV series based on Stephen King novel and produced by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Television to premiere on CBS Television Network in June
Amazon Prime members will have unlimited access to series episodes just four days after broadcast and Under the Dome will also be available for purchase and download exclusively on Amazon Instant Video
LOS ANGELES and SEATTLE - February 11, 2013 - CBS Corporation and Amazon.com, Inc. announced today a content licensing agreement for the new CBS television series Under the Dome, establishing an in-season, online subscription-video-on-demand (SVOD) window for the show on Amazon's Prime Instant Video service. Prime Instant Video will be the exclusive online subscription home for Under the Dome.
The serialized drama from Steven Spielberg's Amblin Television, based on Stephen King's best-selling novel of the same name, will premiere on the CBS Television Network on June 24, 2013.
Amazon Prime members will have unlimited streaming of all the series' episodes four days after their initial broadcast on CBS, at no additional cost, and will be able to enjoy them on hundreds of compatible Amazon Instant Video devices including Kindle Fire HD, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Roku, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and the Wii U gaming console. Episodes of Under the Dome will also be available for purchase and download exclusively at Amazon Instant Video (www.amazon.com/AIV).
Under the Dome tells the story of a small New England town that is suddenly and inexplicably sealed off from the rest of the world by an enormous transparent dome. Under the Dome earned widespread critical acclaim and #1 best-seller status when it was first published by Simon & Schuster's Scribner in 2009 and was an Amazon.com bestseller in both Books and Kindle Books in 2009.
"Amazon has the distinct combination of having a terrific video service with a huge fan base among their customers for Stephen King's book, making them the perfect partner for this summer programming event," said Scott Koondel, Chief Corporate Content Licensing Officer, CBS Corporation. "With this innovative agreement, we're giving fans more options to watch and stay current with this serialized series, and doing so in a way that protects the Television Network's C3 advertising window."
"With creative forces of Stephen King and Steven Spielberg's Amblin Television behind Under the Dome, we think our customers will love this new show and we're excited to be able to offer this highly-anticipated series at no additional cost to Prime members," said Brad Beale, Director of Digital Video Content Acquisition for Amazon. "Adding a current season major network TV series like Under the Dome to the Prime Instant Video library so shortly after its live airing enables us to increase our exclusive selection of great TV shows and give customers access how, when and where they want to watch it."
Just last week, Amazon announced that Prime Instant Video will soon become the exclusive online subscription home for PBS hit Downton Abbey. The Prime Instant Video library now features more than 36,000 movies and TV episodes including fan-favorite shows such as Downton Abbey, Fringe, and The West Wing and blockbuster movies including Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Rango and Transformers: Dark of the Moon, for Amazon Prime members to stream, commercial free at no additional cost on Kindle Fire HD, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Roku, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii and Wii U, among other devices. To sign up for Amazon Prime, visit www.amazon.com/primeinstantvideo.
Under the Dome is produced by CBS Television Studios in association with Steven Spielberg's Amblin Television. Neal Baer, Stephen King, Justin Falvey, Darryl Frank, Stacey Snider and Brian K. Vaughan, who wrote the television adaptation, will serve as executive producers. Acclaimed director Niels Arden Oplev will direct the first episode.
About Amazon Instant Video
Amazon Instant Video is a digital video streaming and download service that offers Amazon customers the ability to rent, purchase or subscribe to a huge catalog of videos. Customers can choose from more than 145,000 titles to purchase or rent and content ranges from new release movies to classic favorites, major television shows, entire seasons, or even day after air TV. Prime Instant Video is Amazon's video subscription offer - it includes more than 36,000 movies and TV episodes selected from the full assortment available at Amazon Instant Video. This subscription offer allows US Prime customers to stream as many titles from Prime Instant Video as they like, at no additional cost.
About Prime
Amazon Prime is an annual membership program for $79 a year that offers customers unlimited Free Two-Day Shipping on millions of items including books, home and garden products, electronics, video games, clothing, and much more. Amazon Prime members also get access to unlimited instant streaming of thousands of movies and TV episodes and access to hundreds of thousands of books to borrow for free, as frequently as a book a month, with no due dates from a Kindle device. Customers who receive free Prime shipping benefits through our Amazon Student or Amazon Mom programs can upgrade to an annual paid membership to receive Amazon Prime's digital benefits.
About Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth's Biggest Selection. Amazon.com, Inc. seeks to be Earth's most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and other sellers offer millions of unique new, refurbished and used items in categories such as Books; Movies, Music & Games; Digital Downloads; Electronics & Computers; Home & Garden; Toys, Kids & Baby; Grocery; Apparel, Shoes & Jewelry; Health & Beauty; Sports & Outdoors; and Tools, Auto & Industrial. Amazon Web Services provides Amazon's developer customers with access to in-the-cloud infrastructure services based on Amazon's own back-end technology platform, which developers can use to enable virtually any type of business. Kindle Paperwhite is the most-advanced e-reader ever constructed with 62% more pixels and 25% increased contrast, a patented built-in front light for reading in all lighting conditions, extra-long battery life, and a thin and light design. The new latest generation Kindle, the lightest and smallest Kindle, now features new, improved fonts and faster page turns. Kindle Fire HD features a stunning custom high-definition display, exclusive Dolby audio with dual stereo speakers, high-end, laptop-grade Wi-Fi with dual-band support, dual-antennas and MIMO for faster streaming and downloads, enough storage for HD content, and the latest generation processor and graphics engine - and it is available in two display sizes - 7" and 8.9". The large-screen Kindle Fire HD is also available with 4G wireless, and comes with a groundbreaking $49.99 introductory 4G LTE data package. The all-new Kindle Fire features a 20% faster processor, 40% faster performance, twice the memory, and longer battery life.
Amazon and its affiliates operate websites, including www.amazon.com, www.amazon.co.uk, www.amazon.de, www.amazon.co.jp, www.amazon.fr, www.amazon.ca, www.amazon.cn, www.amazon.it, www.amazon.es and www.amazon.com.br. As used herein, "Amazon.com," "we," "our" and similar terms include Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise.
Forward-Looking Statements
This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly from management's expectations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to competition, management of growth, new products, services and technologies, potential fluctuations in operating results, international expansion, outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment and data center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements, acquisitions and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system interruption, inventory, government regulation and taxation, payments and fraud. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com's financial results is included in Amazon.com's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings.
About CBS Corporation
CBS Corporation (NYSE: CBS.A and CBS) is a mass media company that creates and distributes industry-leading content across a variety of platforms to audiences around the world. The Company has businesses with origins that date back to the dawn of the broadcasting age as well as new ventures that operate on the leading edge of media. CBS owns the most-watched television network in the U.S. and one of the world's largest libraries of entertainment content, making its brand - "the Eye" - one of the most recognized in business. The Company's operations span virtually every field of media and entertainment, including cable, publishing, radio, local TV, film, outdoor advertising, and interactive and socially responsible media. CBS's businesses include CBS Television Network, The CW (a joint venture between CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. Entertainment), Showtime Networks, CBS Sports Network, Smithsonian Networks, Simon & Schuster, CBS Television Stations, CBS Radio, CBS Outdoor, CBS Television Studios, CBS Global Distribution Group, CBS Interactive, CBS Consumer Products, CBS Home Entertainment, CBS Films and CBS EcoMedia. For more information, go to www.cbscorporation.com.
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