According to this story in today’s New York Times, Amazon.com is in negotiations with three Hollywood studios that could lead to the creation of a download service catering to TV and movie buffs.
From the story: “If the advanced negotiations are successfully concluded, Amazon’s service would position itself in the media world alongside rivals like Apple Computer’s iTunes as a place where people go not just to order goods to be sent by mail, but to instantly enjoy digital wares as well.”
Could I be the only one whose initial reaction upon reading that was “You mean they’re not doing that already?” Who’d a thunk? Amazon.com is a dinosaur?
One corporate asset Amazon apparently would leverage in such a venture is the Web site IMDB.com – Internet Move Database – which company execs had the great foresight to acquire back in 1998 (when dinosaurs still roamed the earth). Even if the name IMDB.com doesn’t ring a bell – it didn’t with me – take a click on over there and I’ll bet it will be instantly recognizable as a site you’ve been to before – maybe to settle a bar bet.
It’s just one of those places where information finds you.
