While many people are jumping on the streaming video bandwagon, Amazon has turned its sights on user-generated content with its latest service, Amazon Video Direct. Competing with YouTube, it will let creators upload their own videos to Amazon’s Prime Video platform and generate royalties based on the hours streamed. This is something the industry has been in need of -- some healthy competition.
Granted, only a company like Amazon could have taken on YouTube. Amazon Video Direct will be tapping into an already established, extensive user base. Additionally, Amazon will let creators have control over where their videos can be streamed. For now, that means they can be streamed in countries where Amazon Video is available – the United States, Germany, Austria, United Kingdom and Japan.
What's Driving This Trend
- User-generated Video
- Opportunity for startups to create platforms for other industries to use user-generated content to enhance their marketing strategies.
- Competition in Video Streaming
- Opportunity for video streaming services to differentiate themselves by incorporating user-generated content in their platforms.
- Localization of Video Content
- Opportunity for technology companies to create customized video content for different countries or regions, similar to Amazon Video Direct’s approach of making the content available where Amazon Video is available.
Who This Affects Most
- Entertainment
- Opportunity to incorporate user-generated content in movies or TV shows to increase audience engagement and loyalty.
- Social Media
- Opportunity for social media platforms such as Facebook or Instagram to launch video sharing services that allow user-generated content and provide royalty opportunities to content creators.
- Marketing and Advertising
- Opportunity for marketing and advertising agencies to use user-generated video content to create more authentic and relatable campaigns for various industries.
