Amazon takes on YouTube with “Video Direct”

Amazon is launching a new video service called “Amazon Video Direct”, letting people earn royalties on uploaded content.

The new service entices professional video creators to upload their videos to Amazon, where they will be displayed on the Amazon Video site alongside studio-created TV shows and movies.

The videos will be viewable by “all Amazon customers” via an ad-supported model, shown to Amazon Prime Video subscribers (presumably without ads) or available as a one-time rental or purchase.

The service is launching in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, and Japan.

The firm already offers access to professional TV shows and films via Prime Video, a rival to Netflix.

It also streams user-generated clips about video games via Twitch.

“There are more options for distribution than ever before and with Amazon Video Direct, for the first time, there’s a self-service option for video providers to get their content into a premium streaming subscription service,” said Jim Freeman, Vice President of Amazon Video. “We’re excited to make it even easier for content creators to find an audience, and for that audience to find great content.”

YouTube offers an ad-free subscription service of its own – YouTube Red – which costs $10 per month.