Amazon is Reportedly Working on a Free Streaming Service with Ads

Amazon has a hard time competing with Netflix in the streaming arena. You have to have Amazon Prime (an annual fee of $99) in order to access the catalog, and not everyone is ready to invest like that. However, Amazon may be working on a way to heat up the competition a little. AdAge has reported that Amazon is developing a free, ad-supported video streaming service, and is, “talking with TV networks, movie studios and other media companies about providing programming to the service.”

Of course, many people are going to complain about the ads, after all, no one likes them. However, this seems to be a way for Amazon to try to introduce their offerings to potential customers and then hook them into paying for Amazon Prime. The main programming being sought appears to be children’s shows, lifestyle, travel, and cooking shows. Of course, that won’t be all the programming, but it seems to be the core.

What do you think? Does this seem like a good idea or just TV without the cable box?