Monthly Rental Plans From As Low As £7.99, With No Late Fees Or Required Return Dates; Rental Members Enjoy Extra 10% Off Amazon.co.uk DVD Purchases
9 December, 2004: Leading online retailer Amazon.co.uk (www.amazon.co.uk) today announced the launch of a new DVD rental service with plans that start from just £7.99 per month--up to 30% less than other on-line offers. In addition, rental members will also receive an extra 10% discount off Amazon's already low prices on all of their DVD purchases from Amazon.co.uk.
"Amazon is determined to be the best place to rent DVDs--online or off," said Jeff Bezos, Founder and CEO, Amazon.com. "We're excited to launch today in the UK with a high-quality, low-priced DVD rental service. As an additional benefit, our rental members will get an extra 10% off when they choose to buy from Amazon.co.uk's selection of tens of thousands of DVDs."
The new rental service is fully integrated into Amazon.co.uk's existing DVD store, allowing DVD shoppers to rent or buy in the same area of the site. Amazon.co.uk's unique search, similarities and recommendations technologies-alongside sales rankings and customer reviews-will provide DVD rental members with a familiar and easy way to find specific titles they are looking to rent, as well as discover those they never knew existed. The service will also be accessible from movie title pages on Amazon's affiliate site, IMDb.co.uk, the Internet Movie Database.
Tens of thousands of titles, ranging from blockbusters such as Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and Spider-Man 2, to independent films like Whale Rider and Rabbit-Proof Fence, to classics such as Casablanca and The Great Escape, are eligible for rental and for this additional discount.
"Our new DVD rental programme offers customers yet another convenient way to enjoy Amazon.co.uk's deep selection and unparalleled online experience," said Robin Terrell, Amazon.co.uk's Country Manager. "Since we already have their payment and billing information, the millions of existing Amazon.co.uk customers can sign up for the programme with just one click."
To use the service, Amazon.co.uk customers simply create a list of DVDs they want to rent and select one of the monthly rental plans available. DVDs will be delivered to rental members free-of-charge using First Class post. Rental members can keep the DVDs they rent for as long as they want, as there are no late fees or required return dates. After viewing each DVD, rental members simply need to post them back to Amazon.co.uk in the pre-paid return envelope provided. Amazon.co.uk will then send on a new DVD from the rental member's list.
Industry data shows that most movie renters rent five or fewer movies per month. Amazon.co.uk is offering two low-priced monthly rental plans. For £7.99 per month, members can have two movies at home at any one time, with a total of four DVD rentals per month. For £9.99 per month, members can enjoy three movies at home at a time, with a total of six DVD rentals per month.
Traditional movie rentals often incur substantial late fees. Both of Amazon.co.uk's low-priced DVD rental plans have no due dates or late fees.
For more information, log on to www.amazon.co.uk/dvdrental.
For further information please contact the Amazon.co.uk press office on 020 8636 9280.
About Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.co.uk opened its virtual doors in October 1998, and strives to be the world's most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online. Amazon.co.uk and sellers list millions of new and used items in categories such as Books, Music, Video, DVD, Software, PC & Video Games, Electronics & Photo, Home & Garden, and Toys & Games!. Through Amazon Marketplace, zShops and Auctions any business or individual can sell virtually anything to Amazon.co.uk's millions of customers. Amazon.co.uk customers enjoy the benefits of industry-leading online-shopping technology, such as secure credit-card payment, personalised recommendations, streamlined, 1-Click® ordering and hassle-free Bid-Click® auction bidding. Through Amazon Anywhere, Amazon.co.uk is also available on mobile phones with WAP technology--see www.amazon.co.uk/anywhere for details.
Amazon.com and its affiliates operate seven websites: www.amazon.com, www.amazon.co.uk, www.amazon.de, www.amazon.fr, www.amazon.co.jp, www.amazon.ca, and www.joyo.com.
As used herein, "Amazon.com," "we," "our" and similar terms include Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise.
Forward-looking Statement
This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly from management's expectations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to potential future losses, significant amount of indebtedness, competition, management of growth, potential fluctuations in operating results, fulfillment center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements, acquisitions, and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system interruption, international expansion, consumer trends, inventory, limited operating history, government regulation and taxation, fraud, and new business areas. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com's financial results is included in Amazon.com's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003, and all subsequent filings.