For those who have been following the tech world, the schoolyard fight between Amazon and Google isn’t news. The past months have seen a push and pull between the two, with Google pulling out YouTube from the Amazon Echo Show and Amazon refusing to sell Chromecast media streamers since Amazon Prime Video isn’t available in them and it might cause “confusion” with their customers. But now it looks like the online retail giant is coming up with plans of its own to rival that of YouTube.
Several sources have seen trademark requests from Amazon with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for a service that will have “non-downloadable pre-recorded audio, visual and audiovisual works via wireless networks.” If that’s not a dead giveaway that they’re referring to something similar to YouTube, the names “Amazontube” and “Opentube” should be a huge clue. Someone has also spotted different URLs registered to Amazon with the names AlexaOpenTube.com, AmazonOpenTube.com, and AmazonAlexaTube.com.
What Amazon can entice content creators with is compensating them more than YouTube is currently doing. If they can apply how they do it with ebook publishers that enroll their content with Kindle Unlimited service, then they may see some publishers crossing over. Some of those currently creating original content with YouTube are not happy with the recent clampdown on advertising revenue.
But as to whether this supposed new video platform will succeed in competing against the YouTube juggernaut, that remains to be seen. It will probably take a huge marketing effort, as well as the aforementioned incentives for content creators.
VIA: SlashGear
