The trend to streaming media continues

Amazon announced yesterday the extension of it’s paid video streaming service to Macs and televisions.  Previously TV shows and movies were only available for download to PCs and Tivos.

Regular readers will know that I think this is the way of the future.  In a world of ubiquitous networks streaming is superior to download – we may not be there yet, but we will be soon, and clever streaming services can partially bridge the gap by pushing content they think their subscribers will want to watch soon.

The pricing still feels a bit rich though:

Movies cost on the order of $9.99 to $14.99 to own, and $2.99 to $3.99 to rent. Most TV episodes are $1.99; some older TV episodes are free

I guess this reflects what studios are willing to do.  In my opinion they should price lower – that is the route to maximising revenues over the medium term and keeping the pirates at bay.