Overstock.com Still Trying To Be Amazon, Launching VOD & Streaming Service

Back in 2013, online retailer Overstock.com engaged in a tit-for-tat book-discounting battle with Amazon. While the short-lived competition didn’t exactly prove to be a sales dream for O.co, the company is now reportedly preparing to take on its e-retail arch nemesis again by launching video-on-demand and streaming services.

Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne announced Tuesday that the company plans to launch their version of the services by the end of the year, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

“We will be a competitor to Amazon,” said Byrne. “We think our loyalty program is better than Amazon’s. We give you five to 25 percent back on what you spend. So we pay people back for their digital downloads.”

The company anticipates the VOD service, which will carry around 30,000 titles, will launch by mid-year and be available to customers who sign up for Overstock’s $20/year loyalty program.

The streaming service, which would be provided to customers at an undetermined additional cost, would offer both acquired and original content and could be in place by the end of the year.

“We already have the traffic,” he says. “We’re looking for a bigger and bigger share of their wallet.”

Byrne says the company will perform analysis of product searches for its estimated 25 million to 45 million unique visitors a month to determine what kind of movies and TV shows to make available through the new services.

Both the VOD and streaming service will be run by a third party, but officials with the company declined to specify what company that would be.

Sure we might think Overstock’s foray into VOD and streaming services is a bit out of left field, but we apparently aren’t the only ones. Ad Week reports that back in 2013, The Onion actually wrote a joke that Overstock was entering the original content arena.

Overstock.com Taking On Amazon With VOD, Streaming Services [The Hollywood Reporter]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.