Amazon Prime Video is expanding its news offering with short-form clips covering local and national stories, bringing a format increasingly popular on platforms such as TikTok and YouTube Shorts to its streaming service.
Amazon said Monday that the new on-demand news clips will initially be available on TVs and other living-room devices, with the feature set to expand to the web and Prime Video’s mobile apps.
The clips will appear in the News section of the Prime Video app, including its Trending Topics and Local News carousels.
They will join Prime Video’s existing local, national and international news coverage from several major providers.
The news offering is available to viewers in the US regardless of whether they have an Amazon Prime subscription.
Short-form news targets younger viewers
Amazon has not yet confirmed whether the short-form clips coming to iOS and Android will use a vertical-video format. The company has only described them as short-form content for mobile devices.
The move comes as younger audiences increasingly turn to social media platforms for news. TikTok and Instagram have become important sources of news for many young users, particularly Gen Z, who often follow news creators and influencers producing short videos.
Unlike social platforms, Amazon does not operate a major social-media network of its own. By adding short-form videos to Prime Video, the company appears to be looking to capture some of the audience that consumes news in shorter formats.
However, the appeal of short-form news may not simply be its length.
Research from Pew Research Center has found that younger news consumers tend to prefer short-form news that feels more natural and less heavily produced.
Streaming platforms embrace short videos
Amazon’s move follows a broader shift among streaming platforms towards shorter video content.
Peacock added short-form clips to its service in March, followed by HBO Max and Netflix in July and Disney+ in August.
