Amazon on Wednesday announced plans to beef up its streaming service with shows from CBS, including The Tudors and the complete Star Trek franchise.
Amazon Prime subscribers will have access to 2,000 full-season episodes from 18 CBS shows, including Numb3rs, Medium, Frasier, and Cheers. Amazon did not provide a timeline for when the shows will be available, except to say that "this summer," Amazon Instant Video customers will also have access to dozens of CBS shows.
"Our new deal with CBS makes Amazon Prime even better for customers," Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com CEO, said in a statement. "We're excited to add thousands of popular CBS programs to our already great selection, all of which stream at no additional cost to Amazon Prime members."
The move comes several months after Amazon announced free movie streaming for Amazon Prime members, who currently pay $79 a year for unlimited free two-day shipping. With the CBS content, Amazon Prime grows to more than 8,000 movies and TV shows, Amazon said.
CBS added its content to Amazon rival Netflix in April, including shows like Frasier, Family Ties, and Cheers. Sci-fi fans also got Star Trek and Twin Peaks, and nostalgia buffs were granted access to shows from the 60s, including The Twilight Zone and The Andy Griffith Show.
Netflix users now have a few more devices on which they can watch those shows. The company said Wednesday that its Watch Instantly streaming service is now available on a "large number" of additional Android phones, though it did not specify which ones, oddly. Netflix was first added to Android phones in May, and that included support for the HTC Incredible (running Android 2.2), the HTC Nexus One (2.2, 2.3), the HTC EVO 4G (2.2), the HTC G2 (2.2), and the Samsung Nexus S (2.3).
Not to be left out, Hulu Plus has added the Fox series Hell's Kitchen. Current episodes from season nine and a rotating selection of shows from earlier seasons will also be added to the free Hulu.com. Hell's Kitchen is distributed by Debmar-Mercury and Lionsgate, which recently inked a deal to stream Mad Men on Netflix, which kicks off July 27.