Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN) continued to turn up the heat on Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX), among other competitors, nabbing the exclusive online subscription rights to Sony Pictures Television's popular FX series "Justified." And, to add more salt to the competitive wounds, the online retailer-cum-streaming-video-provider topped archrival Netflix in the American Customer Satisfaction Index.
Already one of the most-watched shows on Amazon Instant Video, where subscribers can purchase and download episodes for $1.99, "Justified" will now be available to Prime members at no additional cost. While picking up "Justified," Amazon also added another FX series, "The Shield," to its stable of exclusive content.
"We're consistently looking for ways to make Prime even better--and one of the ways we're doing that is adding shows like these that we know customers love," Brad Beale, Amazon's director of digital video content and acquisition, said in a press release.
The two FX shows add to a collection that includes non-exclusive content from CBS and exclusive online subscription access to PBS' "Downton Abbey."
While not directly citing the online video piece of the Amazon business, American consumers gave the e-commerce player a thumbs up this week in report produced by the American Customer Satisfaction Index and analytics firm ForeSee.
Amazon's ranking went up 1.2 percent in 2012, as the online retailer ranked 82 out of 100. For perspective, brick-and-mortar stores scored 76.6 and Netflix, which improved by a point, hit 75.
"Netflix knows that access to content is key, and creating exclusive content and a franchise that will help it secure a loyal following is a unique approach," Larry Freed, CEO of ForeSee, said in a press release. "But it remains to be seen if this tactic can return the company to the top of the online retail category."
For more:
- Amazon issued this press release
- CNET had this story
- ForeSee issued this press release
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