We could all use a little more educational programming. Amazon is hoping to educate and entertain its Prime customers with a slew of new streaming options from PBS.
The retailer just announced a revised licensing deal with the Public Broadcasting Service, which means that Prime customers will have unlimited access to as many as 12,000 commercial-free movies and TV shows before the end of the year.
Amazon will roll out more than 1,000 additional episodes of PBS shows over the next few months. New streaming options will include episodes of NOVA and Antiques Roadshow, as well as documentaries from acclaimed filmmaker Ken Burns, including The Civil War, The National Parks: America's Best Idea, Baseball, Jazz, and his latest, Prohibition. The service will also offer day-after-air availability of Frontline and Washington Week.
Customers will also be able to experience a PBS first. Starting in November, Prime customers can start streaming 200 classic episodes of The French Chef with Julia Child, which are being made available for the first time on digital video.
The announcement comes right on the heels of the debut of Amazon's Kindle Fire. The Kindle Fire allows users to enjoy movies, TV shows, music, magazines, apps, books, games, and more. Amazon is currently offering a free month of Prime service with every Kindle Fire purchase. With an MSRP of $199, the Kindle Fire will start shipping on November 15, 2011.
Amazon Prime is also available on over 300 different devices, including compatible HDTVs, Blu-ray players, and web-connected Macs and PCs. Amazon Prime offers unlimited, commercial-free, instant streaming for an annual fee of $79 per year. Subscribers also enjoy the benefit of free two-day shipping or one-day shipping for $3.99, on eligible Amazon purchases.
"Expanding the reach of our content by making it accessible through digital platforms is a key priority for PBS," said Jason Seiken, senior VP of Interactive, Product Development and Innovation for PBS. "We are already delivering more than 150 million streams of programming across web and mobile apps each month, so we are excited to offer more titles through Prime instant video and ensure that our acclaimed content is available whenever and wherever people want it."
According to Amazon, this PBS deal will more than double the number of Prime instant videos available at this time last year.
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