Can Prime Video crack the code for news streaming?

The news: Amazon Prime Video is exploring a possible push into news media following its successful election night broadcast with Brian Williams, per Variety reporting.

• The election night special attracted about 4 million viewers, per Variety, outperforming CBS (3.61 million) and the Fox broadcast network (2 million). While it stood ahead of those legacy news networks, others like Fox News (10.32 million) and MSNBC (6.01 million) stood far ahead of the pack.

News’ tough transition: As audiences have pivoted more to streaming services, news networks have struggled to match the change in medium. Warner Bros. attempted an ill-fated streaming app for CNN ahead of its merger with Discovery, and others like NBCUniversal are experimenting with apps for their own networks.

• CNN+’s disastrous launch cemented the notion that the network news format has to significantly change in the era of streaming. Users were not interested in spinoff lifestyle shows starring hosts like Anderson Cooper, and even an effort to attract Fox audiences with a Chris Wallace-hosted streaming show fell short.
• However, Amazon’s relatively strong election night performance appears to give the company some faith that it can make the difficult transition. Without a legacy media operation to carry over to streaming, Amazon is free to experiment with format and branding to create a streaming-focused news platform with top talent.
• The addition of news would further flesh out Amazon’s streaming catalog, which is now packed with original properties and various sports rights. Several leading streaming services have moved toward this hub-like format: Netflix is attempting to bring games to its service, YouTube offers NFL broadcasts via Sunday Ticket, and the recently shuttered Venu Sports represented an effort from WBD, Disney, and Fox to bolster streaming content.

Our take: Amazon has a unique opportunity to take a shot at the streaming news format due to its lack of an existing news brand to carry over to digital channels. Its election night broadcast showed that users either have an appetite for news content on its platform or appreciate having access to a variety of content in a singular hub.

With the incoming second Trump administration, news organizations are gearing up to fight for viewership during a term that will be rife with hot-button news.