By Jonathan Easton
Amazon has agreed a deal with Universal to bolster its Prime Video and IMDb TV services.
The licensing agreement will see Amazon gain access to Universal Filmed Entertainment Group live-action titles in an exclusive pay-one window. The deal, Amazon’s first exclusive rights arrangement in the US with a major movie studio, is estimated to be worth ten figures.
The announcement comes after NBCU stated that its movies will come to Peacock no later than 120 days after they come to cinemas starting in 2022, a departure from an existing deal with HBO. The movies will also exclusively be shown on Peacock during the last four months of its 18-month pay-one window.
During the 10 month period in the middle of that window, Universal’s 2022 and future live-action titles will stream exclusively on Amazon’s services.
The deal however only covers live-action movies, while there are no plans to change NBCU’s existing deal with Netflix for Illumination and DreamWorks animated titles.
Prime Video’s VP of worldwide content licensing, Brad Beale said: “We know Prime members love movies and this new deal with UFEG will deliver some of the best films available for our customers. This new slate of UFEG films, including exciting upcoming releases such as Jurassic World: Dominion, The 355, and Ambulance will continue to build upon Prime Video’s catalog and delight Prime members, all at no additional cost to their membership.”
Vice chairman and chief distribution officer, UFEG, Peter Levinsohn said: “Recognising that all parties would benefit from a modernised windowing structure, this new agreement allows Prime Video and IMDb TV to benefit from UFEG’s vast library and diverse content like never before. We’re thrilled to team up with Amazon to deliver our titles to its customers. This agreement further delivers on our distribution strategy to monetize our unparalleled movie library across multiple services, while offering customers the most choice, control and flexibility in how, when and where they watch films.”
