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Amazon flat-out denies that it’s building a killer pay TV service

Published Jan 22nd, 2014 9:45AM EST
Amazon Pay TV Service Denial

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Amazon rarely gives the media the time of day when news sites come knocking and asking for a comment, but a recent report suggesting Amazon is hard at work building a cable-killing pay TV service must have scared all the right people. The company’s public relations broke its silence on Tuesday evening when it flat-out denied The Wall Street Journal’s earlier report that the company is currently holding licensing talks with several major broadcasters related to an upcoming pay TV service that would rival traditional cable.

“We continue to build selection for Prime Instant Video and create original shows at Amazon Studios, but we are not planning to license television channels or offer a pay-TV service,” Amazon’s VP of public relations, Drew Herdener, said in a statement emailed to BGR sister site Variety.

Statements from PR teams are typically a bit foggy by design, but this one really doesn’t leave any room for interpretation — Amazon is not planning to launch a pay TV service.

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 15 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.