14 DAY TRIAL // Amazon is making a pretty penny from its huge online store. But Amazon has always been looking at the future and it bet big on digital content, first in the form of ebooks and music, later with video too.
The company's approach to delivering that content is interesting to say the least. Users don't pay a monthly subscription, per se, rather they get streaming for free as a bonus for Amazon Prime.
Amazon Prime is a yearly subscription program, which comes with speedy free shipping along with plenty of other perks, among which free TV shows and movies.
Since its introduction, Amazon has continued to push its Prime offering. But, just like with everything else Amazon does, the company has not released much info and no hard numbers about the service.
It's not releasing any number now either, but it has put out a few bits of data about Prime which should convey some sense of its success.
It's a pure coincidence that Amazon is going to unveil the next-generation Kindle readers and possibly a new Kindle Fire or two next week.
The big milestone that Amazon is boasting about is shipping more products via Amazon Prime than via the Free Super Saver Shipping which removes the shipping fee for orders above $25.
It shouldn't be that surprising that the top sellers through Amazon Prime are the Kindles. Specifically, the Kindle Fire has been the most purchased product of the year, so far, via the Free Two-Day Shipping offered to Prime customers.
The cheapest fourth generation Kindle reader comes in second place. The touch-version of the Kindle reader is in third place. And, sadly, "Fifty Shades of Grey: Book One" is the fourth most sold item to Prime subscribers.
In the digital department, the most watched show via the Prime Instant Video is the first season of Downton Abbey. The most watched movie is The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. That said, 96.4 percent of all the videos Amazon offers for streaming, 22,000 in total, are watched every week.