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Amazon brings Whole Foods delivery to Chicago and four more cities
Amazon's Whole Foods delivery service still covers a relatively small area, but it's seemingly growing by the moment. The internet giant has expanded the Prime-based grocery deliveries to Chicago, Houston, Indianapolis, Minneapolis and San Antonio, theoretically giving millions extra-quick access to produce, meat, everyday food and "select" alcohol. As before, delivery is available between 8AM and 10PM and shouldn't cost extra if you're ordering at least $35. You can spend $8 if you need your food within an hour.
Amazon expands Prime discounts to all Whole Foods stores this week
Earlier this year, Amazon began offering Whole Foods discounts to Prime members and it has been expanding that program to more states over recent weeks. Today, the company announced that all Whole Foods and Whole Foods 365 stores will offer discounts for Prime members starting Wednesday. Amazon Prime subscribers will get an extra 10 percent off of sale items marked with a special yellow tag and larger discounts on certain products marked with a blue "Prime Member Deal" label.
All Amazon Prime members can now try clothes before they buy
Amazon has been testing out a fee-free clothing-box service in the vein of Stitch Fix since last June. Prime Wardrobe allowed customer to try out selected clothing before buying; customers would only be charged for the items they kept. Until now, the service has been invite only, but today Amazon expanded its new feature to all Prime customers.
Amazon Prime is now available in Australia
Amazon launched its Prime service in Australia today, giving most Australians access to free two-day shipping, Prime Video and a number of other perks. A subscription will cost AU$59 (approximately $44) per year -- as opposed to the US price of $119 -- a discounted rate that takes into account a smaller selection of goods and higher prices. Amazon just launched in the country last December.
Amazon grabs streaming rights for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony
Amazon Prime's video-on-demand service just unlocked a musical milestone: it will be airing the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's induction ceremony for the first time ever. HBO has been the Hall of Fame's conventional broadcasting home, but from July 1st, devotees will be able to watch the event in over 30 countries and eight languages on any device supported by Amazon's streaming service.
Amazon brings Prime discounts at Whole Foods to 10 more states
Amazon's marketing modus operandi is to convince everyone to sign up to its $119 annual Prime Membership, and it's using that strategy to the max with its Whole Foods acquisition. The organic grocery chain is offering discounts to Prime members in ten more states, bringing the total to 23, nearly half the union. Henceforth, denizens of Arizona, Hawaii, and Washington and seven other states can get yellowfin tuna for $9 off per pound, or two Annie's Natural Macaroni & Cheeses for the price of one, instead of paying full price like non-Prime rabble.
The Premier League is coming to UK Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime will show live Premier League matches from 2019 in the UK. The technology giant has bought a football package that will give it exclusive TV -- or in this case, streaming -- rights for 20 games per season, from 2019/20 to 2021/22. These cover some midweek fixtures in early December, and the games taking place over the Bank Holiday (Boxing Day). Earlier this year, the Premier League announced that it had sold five out of seven TV packages in the UK. BT bought one bundle, worth 32 games, while Sky secured four, representing 128 matches. Today, the league confirmed that Amazon and BT have secured the final two TV packages.
Amazon makes Prime Pantry its latest monthly subscription option
Amazon is making changes to how its Prime Pantry service is priced. Rather than the flat $5.99 fee per box for Prime members of yore, starting today it'll cost you $4.99 each month for unlimited deliveries and free shipping on orders over $40. As Windows Central notes, if you aren't a Prime member, the per-order fee is bumping up by $2, and that higher fee will apply to anyone whose orders don't meet the $40 minimum. What if you're already an Amazon Fresh member? Nothing will change, from the sounds of it.
UK Amazon Prime members can order a Volvo test-drive
The slice of Amazon Prime's 100 million members that live in the UK now have a new perk: Using Prime Now to order a test drive of Volvo's V40 hatchback. Simply pick a date and a specialist will deliver the vehicle to your door for you to try out for 45 minutes, free of charge, on select weekends in June and July.
Amazon Prime is your ticket to stream 'Lady Bird' on June 3rd
As part of its earlier deal with production company A24, Amazon will exclusively stream last year's much-lauded film Lady Bird on Prime Video. While it was ultimately snubbed at the Oscars, the coming-of-age movie starring Saoirse Ronan earned five Academy Award noms and won two Golden Globes. The film arrives on Amazon's streaming video service on June 3rd.
Amazon won't distribute Terry Gilliam's ill-fated movie
Terry Gilliam's The Man Who Killed Don Quixote really does seem to be cursed. Variety has learned that Amazon won't distribute the decades-in-the-making movie in the US. It's not certain why Amazon is dropping the title (we've asked for comment), but it comes in the wake of a legal fight between Gilliam and former producer Paulo Branco as well as the resignation of Amazon Studios chief Roy Price following sexual harassment claims. That last part may play an important role -- simply speaking, this might not be the kind of movie Amazon wants on Prime Video.
NFL renews deal with Amazon for ‘Thursday Night Football’ through 2019
A year ago, Amazon secured the rights to stream Thursday Night Football, reportedly beating the previous year's online broadcast partner Twitter (along with Facebook and YouTube) with a $50 million bid. Today the NFL announced it's renewed its deal with Amazon for both the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
Amazon raises Prime fee to $119 in the US
Amazon will increase the cost of Prime membership in the US from $99 a year to $119 a year. According to CFO Brian Olsavsky on the latest earnings call, the 20 percent price increases will take into effect on May 11th. Existing Prime members will see the new annual fee applied to their renewals starting June 16th.
After Math: Number stations
It was a week of hodge-podgery for the tech industry. AT&T rolled out its almost-5G service, Amazon finally revealed its Prime membership figures and Facebook continued its multi-year streak as "Company Least Encumbered by Any Discernible Form of Human Ethics". Numbers, because you can't convince me Mark Zuckerberg doesn't cut his own hair.
Amazon is keeping select Star Wars and Marvel discs as Prime exclusives
For Star Wars and Marvel fans who still prefer DVDs and Blu-Rays over digital, you might not be able to shop at Amazon for your physical media needs. Unless, of course, you're a Prime member. That's because the online giant has made a number of recent Star Wars and Marvel Cinematic Universe DVD and Blu-Ray titles to be Prime exclusives.
Amazon has 100 million Prime members
Amazon has just released its annual shareholder letter and it's a major one. For the first time since the company launched Prime 13 years ago, Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos revealed today that the subscription service has 100 million paid members globally. He said that, in 2017 alone, Amazon shipped over five billion items all around the world, highlighting that a big part of the service's growth is thanks to its recent expansion to countries like Luxembourg, Mexico, Singapore and the Netherlands.
Amazon greenlights Lorena Bobbitt documentary series
Amazon has given the go-ahead to a four-part documentary series on Lorena Bobbitt, Variety reports. Bobbitt became a media focus in 1993 when she cut off her husband's penis while he slept -- which she later said she did because he had raped her. The series will focus on her side of the story as well as the sensationalized news coverage of the case and domestic and sexual assault in the US. "When we hear the name Bobbitt we think of one of the most sensational incidents to ever be catapulted into a full blown media spectacle," Jordan Peele, who will produce the series, said in a statement. "With this project, Lorena has a platform to tell her truth as well as engage in a critical conversation about gender dynamics, abuse and her demand for justice. This is Lorena's story and we're honored to help her tell it."
Amazon says it has ‘tens of millions’ of paying Music Unlimited users
As Spotify goes public, it's only natural that competing services might want to tout their own success stories in the streaming business. According to Billboard, Amazon Music reports "tens of millions" of paid customers and that Amazon Music Unlimited subscriptions have more than doubled in the past half year. That puts them in range of Apple Music and Spotify, with 36 million and 70 million reported subscribers, respectively.
Leaked Amazon figures show TV drives millions of Prime signups
Amazon is notoriously secretive about its sales figures, from how many Kindles it has sold to how many subscribers pay for Prime. Reuters is reporting that it has obtained leaked documents that, if true, will shed plenty of light on at least one part of Amazon's business -- Prime Video. If you thought Amazon was keeping quiet because its projects were flops, think again, because some of its shows are actually more popular than some of the fare you'll find on basic cable.
Amazon will give away free games every month with Twitch Prime
Today, Amazon announced a new Twitch program called Free Games with Prime, and what it does is pretty self-explanatory. Subscribers with Twitch Prime memberships will receive a collection of free games to keep each month. The program starts on Thursday, March 15th, when subscribers will have free access to games such as Superhot and Oxenfree.