Applications
Amazon, Viacom announce multi-year video licensing agreement
MUMBAI: Online retail major Amazon.com and US media conglomerate Viacom have announced an expanded multi-year, multi-national digital video licensing agreement to bring hundreds of TV shows and thousands of TV episodes from Viacom to Prime Instant Video.
This deal includes a collection of TV shows that customers won‘t find on any other digital video subscription service. Prime members will now have unlimited instant streaming access to popular kids programming such as ‘Bubble Guppies‘, ‘The Backyardigans‘, ‘Team Umizoomi‘, ‘Blue‘s Clues‘ and ‘Victorious‘, along with shows from MTV and Comedy Central like ‘Awkward‘, ‘Tosh.0‘ and ‘Workaholics‘. Prime members will also have access to future episodes of ‘Dora the Explorer‘, ‘SpongeBob SquarePants‘, ‘Fairly Odd Parents‘ and ‘Fresh Beat Band‘. Lovefilm customers in the UK and Germany will get some of the same shows later this summer.
Select shows from Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. will be available in Kindle FreeTime Unlimited, a service built just for kids that gives them the freedom to explore books, games, educational apps, movies and TV shows, while providing parents with the tools they need to manage their kids‘ screen time.
Amazon VP of digital video and music Bill Carr said, “Kids‘ shows are one of the most watched TV genres on Prime Instant Video. And this expanded deal will now bring customers the largest subscription selection of Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. TV shows online, anywhere. With programs like ‘Dora the Explorer‘, ‘SpongeBob SquarePants‘, ‘Bubble Guppies‘ and ‘The Backyardigans‘ there are hundreds of great shows for kids and parents to choose from. In addition, we are bringing customers popular shows from MTV and Comedy Central like ‘Key and Peele‘, ‘Workaholics‘, ‘Awkward‘ and ‘Teen Mom 2‘, with the promise of more shows from these networks in the future.”
Viacom president and CEO Philippe Dauman said, “We are thrilled to be extending and deepening our relationship with Amazon. This innovative agreement will provide Prime members with access to even more of our best programming from our major television brands, including many digital video subscription streaming exclusives. Amazon has created a unique, brand-friendly environment for streaming entertainment and consumer products and we are excited to work with Amazon to bring customers shows they love.”
Prime Instant Video offers more than 41,000 movies and TV episodes for Prime members to stream on Kindle Fire, Kindle Fire HD, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Roku, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii and Wii U, among other connected TVs and devices-all at no additional cost. Also as previously announced, later this month Prime Instant Video will become the exclusive home to PBS series ‘Downton Abbey‘ as well as the CBS summer series ‘Under the Dome‘, with each episode of the latter added just four days after initial broadcast.
Applications
JioFinance rolls out multi-bank fixed deposit platform
Users can compare, invest and track fixed deposits across issuers in one place
MUMBAI: The JioFinance app has launched a unified platform allowing users to compare, invest in and track fixed deposits offered by multiple banks and non-banking financial companies, sharpening its push to become a one-stop destination for digital financial services.
The new feature aggregates fixed deposits from a range of issuers, including small finance banks and NBFCs, enabling customers to filter options by interest rate and tenure and complete the entire investment journey digitally.
Interest rates on the platform go up to 8.15 per cent per annum, with users able to view tenure, tax treatment, lock-in conditions and premature withdrawal terms before investing. Once booked, deposits can be monitored through a consolidated dashboard that tracks returns, maturity dates and renewal reminders.
Jio Finance Platform and Service Limited chief executive officer Surbhe S Sharma, said the offering addresses a long-standing pain point for savers, who often struggle to compare issuers and manage deposits spread across institutions.
Fixed deposits remain one of India’s most popular savings products, and the company is betting that transparency and ease of use will draw users seeking stable, low-risk returns.
The FD marketplace on the JioFinance app is powered by Blostem Fintech Private Limited, which operates as a business correspondent and technical service provider to partner banks and NBFCs.
