Is Amazon About to Create Their Own YouTube?

Amazon and Google are arguably the two biggest names on the internet today. Things had been quiet for years until just last year when tension started heating up between the two. Now, it appears that Amazon may be planning to launch it's own free video streaming website.

The feud originated back in back in September of 2017 when Google abruptly blocked the Amazon Echo Show from streaming YouTube videos. Since then, they have also extended this to the Amazon Fire TV bringing this statement from a Google spokesperson.

"We've been trying to reach agreement with Amazon to give consumers access to each other's products and services," a Google spokesperson said in a statement. "But Amazon doesn't carry Google products like Chromecast and Google Home, doesn't make Prime Video available for Google Cast users, and last month stopped selling some of Nest's latest products. Given this lack of reciprocity, we are no longer supporting YouTube on Echo Show and FireTV. We hope we can reach an agreement to resolve these issues soon."

Recently, Amazon filed two trademark requests with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for two names: Amazontube and Opentube as reported by TV Answer Man. While they would most likely face legal issues from Google with names like this, the description of these requests is what is much more interesting.

Amazon's possible streaming services would provide “non-downloadable pre-recorded audio, visual and audiovisual works via wireless networks on a variety of topics.” Also included that the services would offer “online network services that enable users to share content, photos videos, text, data, images and other electronic works relating to entertainment.” These services would obviously be tied very closely with Amazon's Alexa and just in December Amazon registered three new domain names, as reported by Domain Name Wire: 
AlexaOpenTube.com, AmazonAlexaTube.com, and AmazonOpenTube.com.

Since then, Amazon has started selling Chromecasts again, and Amazon and Google are in “productive talks” about keeping access on the Fire TV, but as of today YouTube remains unavailable on the Echo Show and Echo Spot.

Personally, I would prefer it if Amazon stopped getting any bigger than it already has. But I'll save that for another article.
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-Devin LaBrie