Amazon, CBS In Online Subscription Deal

CBS Corp. and Amazon.com, Inc. announced today a content licensing agreement for the new CBS television series Under the Dome, establishing an in-season, online subscription-video-on-demand (SVOD) window for the show on Amazon’s Prime Instant Video service.  Prime Instant Video will be the exclusive online subscription home for Under the Dome.

The serialized drama from Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Television, based on Stephen King’s best-selling novel of the same name, will premiere on CBS on June 24.

Amazon Prime members will have unlimited streaming of all the series’ episodes four days after their initial broadcast on CBS, at no additional cost, and will be able to see them on hundreds of compatible Amazon Instant Video devices including Kindle Fire HD, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Roku, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and the Wii U gaming console. Episodes of Under the Dome will also be available for purchase and download exclusively at Amazon Instant Video.

Under the Dome tells the story of a small New England town that is suddenly and inexplicably sealed off from the rest of the world by an enormous transparent dome. Under the Dome earned widespread critical acclaim and No. 1 best-seller status when it was first published by Simon & Schuster’s Scribner in 2009.

“Amazon has the distinct combination of having a terrific video service with a huge fan base among their customers for Stephen King’s book, making them the perfect partner for this summer programming event,” said Scott Koondel, chief corporate content licensing officer, CBS Corp. “With this innovative agreement, we’re giving fans more options to watch and stay current with this serialized series, and doing so in a way that protects the Television Network’s C3 advertising window.”

Just last week, Amazon announced that Prime Instant Video will soon become the exclusive online subscription home for the PBS hit Downton Abbey.  The Prime Instant Video library now features more than 36,000 movies and TV episodes including fan-favorite shows such as Downton Abbey, Fringe, and The West Wing and blockbuster movies for Amazon Prime members to stream, commercial free at no additional cost on Kindle Fire HD, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Roku, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii and Wii U, among other devices.