Thursday 20 January 2011

Amazon to Acquire LOVEFiLM International Limited

LUXEMBOURG & LONDON – January 20, 2010 – Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) today announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire the remaining shares in LOVEFiLM International Limited (www.LOVEFiLM.com). LOVEFiLM is a leading European subscription entertainment service which combines the benefits of online DVD and games rental-by-post as well as streaming films and TV shows instantly over the internet to PCs, internet enabled TVs and Playstation®3. LOVEFiLM operates today in the UK, Germany, Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Amazon already has a significant minority shareholding in LOVEFiLM and does not itself operate any similar business in Europe.

“LOVEFiLM has been innovating on behalf of movie rental customers across Europe for many years and with the advent of the LOVEFiLM player, they are further delighting customers by streaming digital movies for their immediate enjoyment,” said Greg Greeley, Amazon’s Vice President of European Retail. “LOVEFiLM and Amazon have enjoyed a strong working relationship since LOVEFiLM acquired Amazon Europe’s DVD rental business in 2008, and we look forward to a productive and innovative future.”

“The deal is a winner for the members who love LOVEFiLM because of its value, choice, convenience and innovation in home entertainment,” said Simon Calver, Chief Executive of LOVEFiLM International. “With Amazon’s unequivocal support we can significantly enhance our members’ experience across Europe.”


The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals, and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2011.

Tuesday 18 January 2011

Chair of AMC decided this week

Thursday sees the election of 2011′s Chair of the Affiliate Marketing Council, and I am finally going to get over to the IAB to attend the council meeting, something I plan to do on a more regular basis in 2011.

Up for the chair this year are
Ewan Darby (Neo@Ogilvy), Helen Southgate (Sky) and Sanjit Atwal (TradeDoubler) and I look forward to seeing who gets the vote.

I hope to see some affiliates and industry contacts while there for a catch up after a very busy Q4. some amazing results when you review out entire year and be nice to see some old faces. I understand attendance on the affiliate side is sometimes a bit light but I hope that can change as the industry tries to get its head the new developments and regulations in virtual currency, social media, retargeting and so on.

Wednesday 5 January 2011

LoveFilm strikes exclusive deal for Icon Film releases

LOVEFiLM has signed a content deal with Icon Film Distribution.

Members of our service will now be able to watch recent releases including Precious, The Road and Edge of Darkness. Pretty bleak titles for a cold, dark January but some great films.

The movies will be available to LOVEFiLM subscribers exclusively for a year via their PC, internet enabled TV or PS3.