Amazon is pitching deals to the most popular content creators on YouTube, in a bid to bolster its Instant Video offering, according to reports on Friday.
AdAge says the company wants to include the cream of the web's short videos within its streaming properties, which also include the UK's Lovefilm service.
The report claimed that if a deal is struck popular channels will get their own pages on Instant Video and Lovefilm, giving them an opportunity to boost exposure and earn a few extra quid in the process through pay-per-video offerings.
Any move, which isn't likely until next year, would likely put Amazon in direct competition with YouTube in an arena currently dominated by the Google-owned video sharing platform.
Not only would it boost its battle against the likes of Netflix and US-based Hulu, but it could also give Amazon a shot at taking on iTunes.
The ad-age report suggests content like popular how-to videos would be indexed on Amazon, allowing users to search and access the clips on demand.
"That overarching goal of Amazon to create the one video service to rule them all is the right goal, but a handful of YouTube videos won't get you quite there," said aid Forrester Research principal analyst James McQuivey.
The company is also rumoured to be launching a set-top box to rival Apple TV and the newly-renamed Apple TV platform, so it's likely that the addition of short-form videos would give viewers more to look at.
Via Engadget
