Amazon will now offer the first episodes of several TV series for free via its Prime Instant Video iOS app.
Amazon previously offered its first episode promotion to those with a Kindle Fire tablet, a Roku, or Amazon’s newly launched set-top box Fire TV. As part of the promotion, people can watch the episode for free with advertising as part of a “try before you buy” strategy.
[aditude-amp id="flyingcarpet" targeting='{"env":"staging","page_type":"article","post_id":1495951,"post_type":"story","post_chan":"none","tags":null,"ai":false,"category":"none","all_categories":"business,media,","session":"B"}']The availability of free first episodes comes as part of an update to the iOS app that the company pushed out today. Today’s update also offers a few enhancements to the video player, including a new one-touch play button and a 10-second fast forward or rewind button. You’ll also be able to skip to the next episode of a TV series more easily.
The move is interesting, especially because Amazon just released its own smartphone, the Fire Phone, to compete against the iPhone and a plethora of Android handsets.
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