• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, June 24, 2020

Amazon is actively pursuing licensing deals to add 24/7 live and linear programming to Prime Video, according to Protocol.

The report is based primarily on the information offered by Amazon itself in multiple job listings in recent weeks, with confirmation on the licensing push from an unnamed industry insider.

Amazon declined to respond to the report, which points out that adding live programming could differentiate Prime Video from Netflix, Disney+ and other competitors focused solely on video-on-demand.

Amazon may be looking to tap into the growing popularity of linear streaming services like Pluto and Xumo, but by adding selective, must-see TV offerings to its on-demand content, rather than paying high prices to license the types of bundles offered by cable, Protocol notes.

Amazon’s existing live-TV offerings, which include licensing NFL “Thursday Night Football” and the English Premiere League, may be joined by live concerts, news programming and political debates, one of the company’s job ads indicates.

Another ad seems to imply plans to license complete 24/7 feeds enabling viewing of sports, news, movies and special events, and a third mentions live broadcasters and cable networks as potential partners. Amazon has been streaming live programming from ABC News Live and other news networks through a dedicated news app on Fire TV since October 2019.

Yet another job listing seems to indicate plans to create a new, next-gen “best-in-class” linear TV programming guide for Prime Video.