Amazon Video Direct to challenge Youtube in UGC Arena

This is called…a market disruption.

Are you a producer of independent cartoons on Youtube and tired of the lousy payments? Welp, Amazon is here to help. The conglomerate has officially launched Amazon Video Direct and Amazon Video Direct Stars.

 Amazon Video Direct is essentially Youtube. Anybody can upload content, post it on AVD, and BOOM, you can share it. Creators can elect to offer videos to Amazon Prime members for free with ads. They also can charge viewers by providing the content as an add-on subscription, a one-time rental, or as a downloaded purchase.The platform launches today in the U.S., UK, Germany, Austria and Japan. Providers can choose to make their titles available in any country where Amazon Video is available. The platform will be supported on all the devices that accommodate Amazon Video — Fire TV, Fire and other iOS and Android tablets, connected TVs, game consoles, iOS and Android phones, and laptops.

The AVDS service, allows producers of content to collect royalties on their creations(the producers of Cyanide & Happiness are somewhere out there reading this with raised fists in the air) without giving up the rights to the content.

AVD launch partners include Conde Nast Entertainment, HowStuffWorks, Samuel Goldwyn Films, The Guardian, Mashable, Mattel, StyleHaul, Kin Community, Jash, Business Insider, Machinima, TYT Network, Baby Einstein, CJ Entertainment America, Xive TV, Synergetic Distribution, Kino Nation, Journeyman Pictures, and Pro Guitar Lessons.

Certainly, if I’m Youtube, I’m turning red as a result of this announcement.