As the U.S. video streaming market shows signs of saturation, international expansion is becoming increasingly important for OTT players.
It’s a clear strategy point for Netflix, which expanded service to an additional 130 markets around the world back in January. And international expansion is apparently becoming a bigger focus for one of its chief SVOD rivals, Amazon.
Amazon is preparing to launch its Prime Video service in France, Spain and Italy before the end of 2016, according to Le Figaro. That would expand on the service’s reach in the U.S., as well as markets such as the U.K., Germany, and Japan, where Prime Video debuted last fall.
Amazon, which introduced a stand-alone SVOD option in April, has been asked to comment on the report. Amazon is scheduled to report Q2 2016 results on Thursday, July 28.
Though Netflix, Amazon and Hulu dominate the SVOD-OTT landscape in the U.S., the sector is showing signs of saturation, perhaps opening up opportunities for less-expensive, niche-focused offerings, according to Strategy Analytics.
