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Amazon vs. Netflix: The Fight of the Century

The battle between Amazon and Netflix for control of the television streaming industry has been brewing for years. Since their respective launches in 1997 and 1998, respectively, the two streaming giants have been in a battle for supremacy for over two decades.

From original programming like House of Cards and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel to international titles like 3%, Altered Carbon, and Narcos, both companies have vied to create an unrivaled slate of content. This competition has only intensified over the past few years, with both companies shelling out massive sums of money to acquire the hottest properties in the business.

As the fight over television streaming supremacy continues, the debate over who will eventually become the king of the hill rages on.

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The Fight of the Century?

Amazon, the world’s largest Internet retailer, has seen DVD sales plummet as consumers clamor for downloadable and streaming content. As a result, the company is pushing its Prime Instant Video, which, similar to Netflix, offers commercial-free shows and movies at the viewer’s whim. Now these two are bidding against each other for content and producing their own original shows. Who’s got the upper hand?

Revenue

Amazon
$61 billion
Netflix
$3.6 billion

Costs

Amazon Instant Video
Individual cost applies for most shows and films; $79 yearly Amazon Prime subscription entitles users to some content for free
Prime users also get free two-day shipping on all Amazon products.
Netflix
$7.99 per month for streaming service only

Subscribers

Amazon Prime
10 million
2%
Percent of streaming subscribers that use exclusively Amazon Prime
Netflix
30 million
Another 7.8 million outside U.S.
67%
Percentage of streaming subscribers who use exclusively Netflix

Original programming

Amazon
Alpha House
Betas
Annebots*
Creative Galaxy*
Tumbleleaf*
* Not yet premiered
75%
Average score for Alpha House on Rotten Tomatoes
Netflix
House of Cards
Orange is the New Black
Arrested Development
Lilyhammer
Hemlock Grove
The Killing*
Daredevil*
* Not yet premiered
4X
How much more net income Netflix made ($31.8 million) after the debut of two of its critically acclaimed series, Orange Is the New Black and the Emmy-winning House of Cards

How to Watch

Amazon Instant Video
Any compatible device, including video game consoles, computers, some mobile phones and tablets, smart TVs and Blu-ray players.
Netflix
Any compatible device, including video game consoles, computers, some mobile phones and tablets, smart TVs and Blu-ray players.
42% of Netflix viewers connect via their computers.

Content

Amazon
41,000 movies and TV shows
Netflix
100,000 movies and TV shows, though only a portion is available via streaming

Spending

Spent on content
Amazon
$1 billion
Netflix
$2 billion
Spent on original series
Amazon
Alpha House (11 episodes), $22 million
Netflix
House of Cards (26 episodes) $100 million

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SOURCES:
http://huffingtonpost.com
http://wsj.com
http://amazon.com
http://netflix.com
http://variety.com
http://qz.com
http://latimes.com
https://www.google.com/finance
http://www.nielsen.com

Rowan Jones
Chief Editor