Amazon LOVEFiLM Gets Star Trek, Dexter, More With CBS Deal

The digital content land-grab continues, with Amazon signing up shows including Dexter, Star Trek, and Nurse Jackie for its LOVEFiLM Instant streaming services in the UK and Germany. The agreement, with CBS Studios International, will include content from both CBS and Showtime, and comes alongside a new streaming app for Sony's range of TVs, Blu-ray decks, and AV kit.

From CBS, there's The Good Wife and Blue Bloods among others, while Showtime also contributes Californication.

The licensing is the latest of a stream of content deals Amazon has inked over the first half of 2013, both for its LOVEFiLM division in Europe, and for Amazon Prime Instant in the US. In January, for instance, it was NBC Universal, Channel 4, and Marvel, followed by Warner Bros. and, most recently, Disney.

However, its also seen Amazon butt heads with streaming rival Netflix along the way. Earlier this month, Amazon snatched up a deal with Viacom including hit kids' shows including Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go!, which only weeks before had prompted parent fury when they disappeared from Netflix's catalog.

TV content was highlighted by independent streaming researchers earlier this year as LOVEFiLM's weak spot, with their findings indicating that, while the Amazon owned service offered more movie content than Netflix in Europe, it lagged behind in TV.

As for the new LOVEFiLM app for Sony's BRAVIA line-up, it follows Amazon's new streaming software for the Xbox 360, released last week. Trialled initially on the PS3 in May, the new app includes watchlist support for easier TV and movie playlist management, and an improved recommendations engine.

The new BRAVIA LOVEFiLM app is available from today, though you'll need to be using a smart TV, Blu-ray player, or home cinema system from the 2010 range or later in order to install it.