Amazon Lovefilm Inks Deal With ABC, Following Netflix UK Launch ~ Pare News

Thank you for using rssforward.com! This service has been made possible by all our customers. In order to provide a sustainable, best of the breed RSS to Email experience, we've chosen to keep this as a paid subscription service. If you are satisfied with your free trial, please sign-up today. Subscriptions without a plan would soon be removed. Thank you!

Amazon Lovefilm has inked a licensing deal with Disney UK in an effort to keep customers from switching over to Netflix’s online film and TV streaming subscription service, which launched last week in the UK and Ireland.

The agreement will make available complete seasons of a range of ABC Studios shows, including Desperate Housewives and all six seasons of Lost, via on-demanding streaming once they’ve completed airing on UK television.

In addition to those two shows, subscribers to Lovefilm’s online streaming service will also have access to past seasons of Happy Endings, Grey’s Anatomy, Castle, Ghost Whisperer and Brothers & Sisters.

The deal follows two similar agreements Lovefilm made with BBC Worldwide and ITV earlier this month. Notably, none of the agreements were deemed exclusive — in fact, Netflix already signed a streaming deal with BBC Worldwide in December — leaving the Lovefilm competitor plenty of opportunity to close the content gap.

In addition to the BBC, Netflix UK also has licensing agreements with 4oD, All3Media, CBS, Fox, Lionsgate, Miramax, MGM, Momentum Pictures, NBCUniversal, Paramount, Sony and Viacom. Lovefilm has agreements in place with Disney, Entertainment One, Lionsgate, Momentum, Sony, Studio Canal and Warner Bros., in addition to the three studios it signed on earlier this month.

With such similar content offerings, consumer choice is likely to be dictated by price. A month before Netflix’s launch in the UK and Ireland, Lovefilm cut the price of its streaming-only service to £4.99 per month — a full pound cheaper than Netflix. The company has not yet made that package available on its website, however.

More About: abc studios, amazon, disney uk, lovefilm, netflix uk

For more Business coverage: