Cox Communications’ Contour TV customers now have access to Amazon Prime Video from their set-top box, marking the ecommerce giant’s second distribution deal with a U.S. pay-TV operator after Comcast added the service to Xfinity X1 last fall.
To access Prime Video on Cox Contour, users must have a membership in Amazon’s Prime free-shipping program or subscribe to the standalone Prime Video service. Prime Video is integrated in the Contour’s voice-enabled remote, letting customers access the app by simply saying “Amazon Prime Video,” “Prime Video,” or the name of any show or movie on Prime Video.
Prime Video provides on-demand access to thousands of movies and TV shows, as well as live sports and self-published content. The lineup includes Amazon Studios originals such as Emmy-winning “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan,” “Homecoming,” “Hanna,” “The Man in the High Castle,” “Bosch,” “Guava Island” starring Donald Glover and Rihanna, “The Big Sick,” “Cold War,” “Beautiful Boy,” and Oscar-winning films “Manchester by the Sea” and “The Salesman.” Upcoming Amazon originals include series “Good Omens” from Neil Gaiman and Jonas Brothers documentary “Chasing Happiness.”
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In addition, Cox Contour customers will be able to access subscriptions purchased through Amazon Channels including Starz, Showtime and PBS Kids — but excluding HBO, Cinemax and CBS All Access, because Amazon’s agreements with HBO and CBS disallow access to their programming through third-party providers. (The same restrictions apply to Prime Video on Comcast X1.)
With the Amazon Prime Video integration, “we’ve removed the complexity that comes with toggling, switching inputs or the necessity of watching on a smaller screen,” said Kevin Hart, Cox’s executive VP and chief product and technology officer for Cox. “Now all you have to do is say the name of your favorite Prime Video show or movie into your Contour remote and it will appear on your TV.”
Added Andrew Bennett, head of worldwide business development for Prime Video, “Bringing the Prime Video app to Contour gives our Prime members even more ways to stream Amazon Originals.”
Amazon Prime Video joins other internet-streaming apps on the Contour TV service, which include Netflix, YouTube and iHeartRadio.
Privately held Cox Communications has 6 million residential and business customers across 18 states. As of the end of 2018, Cox had about 4 million video subscribers after losing a net 115,000 for the year, according to estimates by Leichtman Research Group.