Amazon nabs exclusive rights to stream 'Justified'
The online retail giant also will offer FX's "The Shield" for free to Amazon Prime subscribers or for $1.99 an episode for nonsubscribers.
The online retail giant today said it has reached a content licensing agreement with Sony Pictures Television to make Amazon Prime the exclusive location to watch FX's "Justified." It also said it would now offer episodes of "The Shield," but that show is not exclusive to Netflix.
Prime subscribers can watch the shows for free, while other Amazon visitors can purchase and download episodes for $1.99 apiece."'Justified' and 'The Shield' are two fan-favorites on Amazon," Brad Beale, director of digital video content acquisition for Amazon, said in a press release. "We're consistently looking for ways to make Prime even better -- and one of the ways we're doing that is adding shows like these that we know customers love."
The deal adds to Amazon's growing library of films and TV shows available for streaming and purchase. The company has been rapidly expanding its streaming service to compete with Netflix, Hulu, and other rivals. The service originally was only available to the company's customers who have annual Prime subscriptions for $79 a year, but Amazon in November said it was beginning to offer monthly access for $7.99.
Earlier this month, Amazon revealed it had nabbed exclusive rights to stream the latest season of PBS' blockbuster TV series "Downton Abbey."
Correction at 6:20 a.m. PT on March 1 "The Shield" is not exclusive to Amazon. The headline and story have been updated to reflect this.