Sunday, May 26, 2013

The War for Online Video Is Heating Up

Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN  ) , Yahoo!  (NASDAQ: YHOO  ) , AOL  (NYSE: AOL  ) have made key moves to build a video arsenal-moves that will surely lead to a showdown with everyone, including Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX  ) and Google's (NASDAQ: GOOG  ) YouTube.

Will Netflix and YouTube survive this onslaught?

For some time now, Amazon and Yahoo! have partnered with content creators to create a hub of online video. But, in just the past few months, both companies have struck deals to become the exclusive streaming partner for certain TV shows. Now, Amazon is the only one that has access to shows like Downton Abbey and Justified online, meanwhile Yahoo! will soon become the place for Saturday Night Live.

Additionally, each company is creating original shows. Last month, Amazon piloted 15 new pilots, AOL announced it would create a studio to help shoot 15 shows as well, and Yahoo! has been creating its own web series for a while.

So, it looks like Netflix and YouTube have their work cut out for them. Luckily, Netflix and YouTube seem well-positioned to weather any battles for the next couple of years. In the following video, Motley Fool contributor Kevin Chen compares Netflix and YouTube's prospects to their ever-growing competitors. To learn more, click on the video below.

It's incredible to think just how much of our digital and technological lives are almost entirely shaped and molded by just a handful of companies. Find out "Who Will Win the War Between the 5 Biggest Tech Stocks?" in The Motley Fool's latest free report, which details the knock-down, drag-out battle being waged by the five kings of tech. Click here to keep reading.

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