Amazon is giving TV-loving iPhone and iPad users a new incentive to try its Instant Video app.
The company released an update today that allows iOS users to view the first episode of many shows for free, with interstitial ads. That means people interested in trying a show out before buying it can get a taste of what they would get without
Amazon clearly wants to draw more users to its service, and offering free episodes could be the draw that some people need. However, if people want to buy any of the shows that they tried, they’ll need to open up a web browser, since Amazon is unwilling to sell content through the App Store as an in-app purchase, a move that would give Apple a 30 percent cut of the transaction.
Switching to a web browser to purchase a show is quite the hurdle, especially when the iTunes Store’s comparatively easier purchase process is already available to users.
The update also brings users a number of other improvements, including new playback controls and a button that lets people quickly move to the next episode in a series, if it’s available to them.
In addition, the update brings support for HBO shows like “The Sopranos” and “Boardwalk Empire,” after Amazon licensed them from HBO earlier this year.
Amazon Instant Video is available for free from the iOS App Store. Check out the full release notes below:
- Now stream the first episode of selected TV shows for free. First Episode Free videos include advertising breaks before and during video playback (requires iOS 6 or later).
- All new video playback controls, including one-touch play/pause and 10-second skip forward/backward buttons, and a “Next Episode” button to quickly play back the next episode of the TV show you’re watching (requires iOS 6 or later).
- Prime Instant Video now features dozens of groundbreaking series from HBO like The Sopranos, The Wire, and Deadwood, plus early seasons of True Blood and Boardwalk Empire.
- Faster playback start time after pressing play (requires iOS 6 or later).
- Bug Fixes and stability improvements.
