Just days after Netflix's contract ran out, Amazon signed a deal with Viacom to stream many of its popular kids shows for $200 million. As reported by Reuters, some of the shows include "SpongeBob SquarePants," "Dora the Explorer," and "Blue's Clues."
The deal provides access to over 4,000 episodes available for streaming to Amazon Prime customers. Members pay $79 a year for free two-day shipping and it already included access to thousands of popular shows and movies.
A share of the $200 million was for securing exclusive subscription streaming rights to several Nick Jr shows including "Go Diego Go!," "Blue's Clues" and "The Backyardigans."
Signing additional content deals has become more important for Amazon as it looks to compete with Netflix and Hulu for viewers who are increasingly watching TV over the Internet. Children's programming in particular is one of Amazon's most popular services.
Ordinarily, such a loss would have a significant impact on Netflix customers if not for other recent content deals. Netflix announced a new multiyear license agreement with Walt Disney Co in May providing exclusive streaming rights to shows like "Jake and the Never Land Pirates" and "Handy Manny." Another agreement was reached in March when Netflix gained access to a number of popular Cartoon Network shows.