Prime Video

The Amazon founder and executive chairman pushed Prime Video head Mike Hopkins to overhaul the streaming service so that AI is front and center, according to four people with direct knowledge of the matter.

By Greg Lamm (March 11, 2024, 10:27 PM EDT) -- Amazon is accused of illegally disclosing a virtual "warehouse" of private customer data, including what movies subscribers watch on Prime, without letting consumers opt out, according to a proposed class action filed in Washington federal court....

Amazon Prime Video consumers will ask a federal appellate court to revive a claim that the company violated their privacy by allegedly sharing information about their online video viewing with Amazon affiliates.

A federal judge has tossed a lawsuit claiming that Amazon violated Prime Video users' privacy by allegedly sharing information about their online video-viewing with companies affiliated with Amazon.

This isn't the first time that Amazon has received backlash as in November, people were upset with the company for selling pro-Palestinian merchandise.

A suit challenges Prime Video telling people they can "buy" a movie when they're purchasing a license to watch it for a period of time.

In June 2021, Gillespie's team created an Inclusion Policy & Playbook, detailing how Amazon Studios would disrupt the biases that occur across the lifecycle of a series or movie, from the first inkling of a concept to viewers streaming the content on Prime Video. Working with creators like Riz Ahmed, Jenny Han, Lizzo, Rachel Brosnahan, Gloria Calderón Kellett, and more, Gillespie and her team developed clear directives to reach their goals including, a minimum of 20 percent women and non-binary people from underrepresented races and ethnicities in casting, and similar goals for off-camera roles above and below the line.

NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon is planning to donate $1 million to President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration fund, a move that comes as major tech companies seek to improve their relationship with the incoming president.

The powerful chair of Australia’s consumer watchdog has declared she will seek a large penalty and public admissions of wrongdoing from Amazon after the US e-commerce giant introduced ads into its Prime Video service through allegedly unfair contracts with more than 1 million Australians.

Amazon.com Inc. has been sued by Australia’s consumer watchdog for introducing advertising to its Prime Video streaming service and then forcing existing subscribers to pay more to avoid the ads.

Amazon.com Inc. has suspended shipments of retail products and access to Prime Video to customers in Russia, part of a broader effort by the company and other technology giants to remove ties with the country.

Amazon is suspending shipments to Russia and Belarus due to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, the company announced in a blog post (via Bloomberg). It’s also barring access to Amazon Prime Video in Russia.

Amazon is suspending access to Prime Video for customers based in Russia amid the country’s invasion of Ukraine. In a blog post about the announcement, the company also noted that it has suspended the shipment of retail products to customers based in Russia and Belarus. Amazon will also no longer be accepting new Russia and Belarus-based AWS customers and Amazon third-party sellers. In addition, the e-commerce giant will no longer be taking orders for “New World,” which is the only video game it sells directly in Russia.

The Prime Video users who are suing Amazon “got exactly what they bargained for,” Amazon’s motion to dismiss said. ”One Prime benefit is access to Prime Video, a world-class streaming service with a massive library of movies, shows, and other digital content, including award-winning original and exclusive content.” In December 2023, Amazon announced to all Prime members that, beginning 30 days later, some Prime Video movie sand TV shows would also include ”limited advertisements.”

In a ruling issued Wednesday (read it HERE), U.S. District Judge Barbara J. Rothstein rejected the claim that Amazon’s decision to start running ads in 2024 effectively represented a price increase for Prime members. Only by paying an additional $2.99 per month (on top of the annual $139 fee for Prime) could members opt out of advertising on film and TV titles, which the plaintiffs said forced them to pay more in order to continue the same video experience.

A lawsuit filed in February 2024 against Amazon on behalf of Prime Video users accused the company of false advertising and deceptive practices over the change by Prime Video to serve ads unless customers pay $2.99/month more. “For years, people purchased and renewed their Amazon Prime subscriptions believing that they would include ad-free streaming,” the lawsuit said. “But last month, Amazon changed the deal. To stream movies and TV shows without ads, Amazon customers must now pay an additional $2.99 per month… This is not fair, because these subscribers already paid for the ad-free version; these subscribers should not have to pay an additional $2.99/month for something that they already paid for.”

Amazon last year pivoted to making its ad tier the default for its over 100 million subscribers, which instantly turned the service into a streaming-ad juggernaut and the largest ad-supported subscription streamer. Users were required to pay an additional $2.99 per month to watch without ads.

The suit was filed Feb. 9, after Amazon starting on Jan. 29 began running ads in Prime Video content in major markets including the United States unless users opt to pay extra ($2.99/month in the U.S.) to have an ad-free experience. Some analysts have forecast Prime Video ads generating more than $3 billion in revenue in 2024.

In 2023, Amazon, which declined to comment, announced plans to turn on ads for all Prime Video viewers. The platform last month rolled out the change, instantly turning the service into a streaming-ad juggernaut and the largest ad-supported subscription streamer. Users must pay an additional $2.99 per month to watch without ads.

After Amazon announced that Prime Video will start showing ads with its content on January 29, 2024—as well as become more expensive—there has been strong backlash online.

"This will allow us to continue investing in compelling content and keep increasing that investment over a long period of time," the company said in an email to customers.

Security researcher Anurag Sen found a database packed with Amazon Prime viewing habits stored on an internal Amazon server that was accessible from the internet. But because the database was not protected with a password, the data within could be accessed by anyone with a web browser just by knowing its IP address.

The other leg was live news. Lots of people hold on to cable because they want to be able to watch MSNBC or Fox News or CNN, and aren’t entirely sure how to replace that experience. But Amazon’s latest move—the hiring of Brian Williams to anchor election night coverage—is another blow aimed directly at the heart of the cable bundle. Reports Variety:

Soltanovich seconded Keshmiri’s comments, saying Amazon has a “pretty lengthy track record” of closely collaborating with disability advocacy organizations in developing critical accessibility features. He cited audio descriptions as a prime example; Amazon, he told me, worked closely alongside the American Council for the Blind in seeing the feature from conception to fruition, using part of the development process to garner feedback and hear concerns about implementation and execution. That the company taps disability experts such as those at ACB is a significant part of how the proverbial sausage is made. According to Soltanovich, Amazon is “consistently [reaching] out to make sure we do our best to represent [people] given all the information we’re receiving.”

Amazon’s Prime Video is launching a new AI-powered feature that lines up an actor’s mouth with “human-dubbed” audio. The feature is only available with the English dub of the German series Maxton Hall for now, but Prime Video plans to expand it to “additional titles” in the future.

Last week, Amazon raised wages for its contracted delivery drivers to roughly $22 an hour as part of a $2.1 billion investment this year into its third-party logistics program. The wage hikes come as Amazon prepares for the peak holiday shopping season, a period when retailers typically see a surge in online shopping.

Amazon announced Wednesday it is raising wages for its hourly warehouse workers. The average base pay for front-line employees in the U.S. will increase to more than $22 an hour, up from roughly $20.50 an hour, the company said.

” [W]e’ve identified opportunities to reduce or discontinue investments in certain areas while increasing our investment and focus on content and product initiatives that deliver the most impact,” wrote Mike Hopkins, senior vice president of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, in a note to staffers.

Amazon's Prime Video is now streaming 58 official-selection feature films from Outfest LGBTQ film festivals — with six more coming soon — available to Prime members at no additional cost.

The voting rights documentary All In: The Fight for Democracy will be available to stream for free and without a subscription on Amazon Prime Video on Tuesday, Sept. 22, according to Variety. The documentary is being made available at no charge in support of National Voter Registration Day. In addition to streaming on Amazon, it will also be available to stream for free on YouTube, Twitch, and Twitter.

You may have believed it was already standard practice, but Amazon employees are getting a new perk: a free Prime subscription. The service, which costs $140 a year, offers speedy shipping and video streaming, among other perks.

The e-commerce giant announced an updated pay and benefits package for hourly employees in its fulfillment and transportation network Thursday morning.

Prime Video's leaky ship released Jason Statham's boat thriller, Mutiny, two days early