Amazon Introduces Offline Viewing For Its Prime Video Service

In the wake of Apple Inc (AAPL) rumored to be considering a venture in original content creation, Amazon.com Inc (AMZN) has just announced a new video perk for its Prime members: offline viewing. Users of the e-commerce giant’s $99/year membership will now be able to download movies and television shows straight to their smartphone or tablet to view in areas with limited Wi-Fi.

This benefit of Amazon Prime is similar to Spotify Premium, the paid version of the popular music streaming company. Just like when you “Save” songs or albums or playlists to your device, Prime members will be saving their favorite movies or TV shows.

The company used to offer this perk only on the company’s own Fire tablets, but it has now expanded to Android and iOS devices. While not all of Amazon’s content will be available for download, a large chunk of it is.

Offline viewing seems to be one in a long list of moves to make Amazon’s streaming video service more attractive. Since last year, Prime members have been able to watch old HBO content like “The Wire” and “The Sopranos,” as well as the network’s original movies and miniseries. The company’s critically-acclaimed original show “Transparent” won two Golden Globes and has been nominated for 7 Emmy Awards this year. And in February,  the research firm Consumer Intelligence Research Partners released a study that people use Amazon to stream video content just as much (if not more) than on Netflix (NFLX).

Despite Netflix’s vehement opposition towards offline viewing, and a line-up of seriously impressive original content, the company is going to need to up their game if they wish to keep their number one status.

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