Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) has made no secret of its desire to compete with Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) and Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) in the streaming of premium video to customers. Amazon has a built in advantage. It website has more traffic than any other e-commerce site in the world. That gives it an unprecedented opportunity to promote new products and services.
Amazon also sold as many as 5 million of its Kindle Fire tablet PCs in the holiday quarter. These make a ready platform for those who want to watch movies and television shows on a portable wireless device. The proliferation of 4G networks have made the chances these streaming models to portable devices will work well.
Amazon is apparently close to a deal with Viacom (NYSE: VIA) to license much of its programming. The e-commerce firm already has deals with CBS and several other of the media conglomerates who want to diversity the platforms on which they can make money on their content.