Associated Press: Amazon.com plans to broadcast on its web site an original show hosted by Bill Maher and featuring performers and authors touting new releases – which, not coincidentally, will be for sale at the online retailer.
The 12-episode webcast series, which will begin airing June 1, is the first offering in what the Seattle company says is a broader plan to add more original programming to its web site.
Kathy Savitt, Amazon.com’s vice president of strategic communications, content and initiatives, said the long-term goal is to help Amazon.com become more of a “destination,” where offerings such as this help people find artists whose works they might not previously have thought of buying.
The company plans to record the first show at the Sundance Film Festival this weekend, with guests including authors Stephen King and Armistead Maupin, musician Rob Thomas and actress Toni Collette.
After the launch, the free programs will be available for on-demand viewing anytime, although users cannot download them.
Besides sales, the company is relying on sponsors such as delivery company UPS Inc. to help pay for the show. UPS ads will accompany the Webcasts, and Savitt said Maher also will talk about UPS during the show.
“We’re working with sponsors in a very different way than traditional advertising,” Savitt said, adding that the companies will be “an interwoven and an important and authentic part of the show.”
