'Downton Abbey' To Be Pulled From Netflix, Other Sites
by Shannon Keirnan
Fans of “Downton Abbey” who need to catch up better make use of their Netflix or Hulu Plus soon.
As of June 18th, the popular British drama will only be available on Amazon Prime.
Amazon.com Inc said on Friday that it has an exclusive deal for distributing “Downton Abbey.” Subscribers to Prime Instant Video, Amazon’s streaming video service, will be the only ones with access to season 3 of “Downton.”
The subscription will continue through season 4 and, if the show continues, season 5 as well.
The deal is Amazon’s attempt to overtake Netflix Inc, which is currently the leading online video subscription service in the United States. Those already signed up for Prime, their response to Netflix, will receive the streaming option of the show free. Access to Prime costs $79 a year, and features two-day shipping for those not already subscribers.
Amazon is hoping that by obtaining these exclusive rights, more members will sign up for the basic Prime service, which may impact overall spending on the Amazon site.
Seasons 1 and 2 of the series are currently the most-watched TV seasons of all time on the Prime Instant Video service.
"Our Prime customers have spoken. The series is consistently in our top most watched TV shows each week, says Brad Beale, director of digital video content acquisition for Amazon.
How do you feel about this limitation of options? Will you be signing up for Amazon to view your beloved “Downton”… or is it time to consider purchasing the DVDs?