UNIVERSAL AND AMAZON PRIME VIDEO SIGN STREAMING DEAL

Amazon has signed a deal with Comcast’s Universal Pictures to show the studio’s movies on its Prime Video and IMDb TV services, The Wall Street Journal reported. Under the terms of the deal, new theatrical releases from Universal will premiere on Amazon Prime Video after a four-month run on the studio’s sister streaming service, Peacock. Under that plan, the new movies will run on Peacock for four months, and then move to Amazon for 10 months after that, at which point they will return to Peacock for another four months.

The multiyear deal starts in 2022 and will include major Universal releases, including “Jurassic World: Dominion”. A separate deal covers Universal’s stable of anticipated animated releases, such as “Minions: The Rise of Gru” and a new sequel to “Puss in Boots.” Amazon Prime Video subscribers will be able to watch the movies for no additional fee.

“We know Prime members love movies, and this new deal with Universal will deliver some of the best films available for our customers. This new slate of Universal films, including exciting upcoming releases such as ‘Jurassic World: Dominion,’ ‘The 355,’ and ‘Ambulance,’ will continue to build upon Prime Video’s catalog and delight Prime members, all at no additional cost to their membership,”  said Brad Beale, VP of Worldwide Content Licensing at Amazon Prime Video.

Peter Levinsohn, Vice Chairman & Chief Distribution Officer of Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, added: “Recognizing that all parties would benefit from a modernized windowing structure, this new agreement allows Prime Video and IMDb TV to benefit from UFEG’s vast library and diverse content like never before. We’re thrilled to team up with Amazon to deliver our titles to its customers. This agreement further delivers on our distribution strategy to monetize our unparalleled movie library across multiple services, while offering customers the most choice, control and flexibility in how, when and where they watch films”.