Amazon Prime now tops Netflix in U.S. subscribers
Amazon.com (AMZN) now has 40 million U.S. members for its Amazon Prime subscription service, up about 50% from a year ago, Consumer Intelligence Research Partners said Tuesday. Amazon Prime offers free two-day shipping on millions of items, a video-on-demand service that competes with Netflix (NFLX), and other benefits. Amazon Prime costs $99 a year. If the estimate of 40 million subscribers is accurate, Amazon Prime now has more U.S. subscribers than Netflix, which reported 39.1 million domestic members as of the end of December. But most Amazon Prime members subscribe for the free, two-day shipping. A study released by CIRP last April found that 70% of Amazon Prime members stream videos through the service. Amazon is producing original shows and movies to attract more viewers. Its comedy-drama series “Transparent” starring Jeffrey Tambor recently won two Golden Globe awards, for Best TV Series and Best Actor…