Amazon reportedly has a plan in place to grow its various media products overseas. The e-commerce giant is building a new service that would be available exclusively on mobile devices, according to Variety. By working with regional carriers, Amazon hopes to bring video and audio to more consumers.
The name “Amazon Fuse” might be locked in already. Amazon has filed for the trademark and started hiring to have a dedicated team.
While the company appears to be moving fast in developing this service, everyone is a little unsure of what exactly it is. Amazon Fuse could be something as simple as a program for pre-installed apps to be available on carrier-sold mobile devices.
It’s also laid out in the report that carriers will have the option to bundle their own products with Amazon Fuse. If that’s true, maybe it’s an all-in-one subscription for Prime Video, Prime Music, and more in addition to what partners want to be included. Amazon created a similar bundle with Vodafone India where customers get Prime Video and free shipping through the carrier.
Here’s an excerpt from one of the job listings:
“The Fuse business is primarily working with mobile operators across the globe to bring Prime Video, Music, Kindle, and Prime to hundreds of millions of customers.”
The strategy doesn’t appear to involve the United States very much. Based on the information known so far, Amazon Fuse looks like it’s part of a larger international push to grow the company’s brand. Amazon is actively seeking to make deals in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.
No timetable was provided in the report, so who knows when Amazon Fuse could start rolling out in select markets.
The subscription-based model is clearly working for Amazon. In 2017, analysts believed the company had somewhere between 65 million and 80 million subscribers globally. While the company hasn’t confirmed any figures, Amazon is showing no signs of slowing down and thus it must have cash flowing in nicely.
Most of Amazon’s revenue comes from the U.S., however, and it would make sense to now focus on international growth.
