Amazon announced that it will open a new global Digital Media Development Centre in London, England to create interactive digital services for TVs, game consoles, smartphones and PCs.
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Unedited press release follows:
Amazon to open global digital media innovation hub in London
LONDON – 23rd July 2012 – Amazon has announced that it will open a new global Digital Media Development Centre in London in the coming months. The design and development teams from Pushbutton and LOVEFiLM, which are both Amazon companies, will come together to work on new digital media projects that will benefit Amazon customers all over the world.
The eight-floor, 47,000 sq. ft. centre in Glasshouse Yard, near to the Barbican tube station, will house teams of software development engineers, user-interface experts and graphic designers who will focus on the creation of interactive digital services for TVs, game consoles, smartphones and PCs; the development of the digital media experience on Amazon websites around the world; and the building of services and APIs that power that digital media experience.
“London is a hotbed of tech talent and testament to that fact is Amazon choosing the capital as the location for the new global Digital Media Development Centre,” said Paula Byrne, Managing Director of the Centre in London. “Innovation is part of the Amazon DNA and we are creating a British centre of excellence to design and develop the next generation of TV and film services for a wide range of digital devices.”
Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: ‘I am thrilled to welcome Amazon’s fantastic new international digital centre to London. For this wildly successful and dynamic company to choose our city to site such an important facility is a splendid feather in our cap. We know we have the talent, the space and infrastructure to make the most of the digital economy – this will be my prime message during Games-time, as I seek to woo even more companies for the capital, delivering jobs and growth for Londoners. Amazon’s investment propels us well up the league table of global tech cities and we thank them for their vote of confidence.’
The team that will come together at the new Development Centre has previously worked on a variety of digital innovations including LOVEFiLM Instant, which offers members unlimited streaming from just £4.99 per month on over 280 Internet-enabled devices including PCs, PlayStation®3, iPad®, Xbox 360, plus a growing number of Blu-Ray players and Internet-connected TVs including Sony, Samsung, LG and Cello, as well as Amazon Instant Video and the LOVEFiLM iPad App.
Paula Byrne, Managing Director of the Amazon Digital Media Development Centre, is a Liverpudlian and seasoned media executive. Prior to launching Pushbutton in 2002, she held a number of senior director-level roles in tech-related media companies and was responsible for launching a wide range of world first interactive TV services.
Amazon.co.uk opened its virtual doors in October 1998 and strives to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavours to offer its customers the lowest possible prices.
Amazon.co.uk and other sellers offer millions of new, refurbished and used items in categories such as Baby, Books, Car & Motorbike, Clothing, DIY & Tools, DVD, Electronics & Photo, Grocery, Health & Beauty, Home & Garden, Jewellery, MP3, Music, Musical Instruments & DJ, Office, PC, Pet Supplies, Shoes, Software, Sports & Leisure, Toys & Games, Video Games and Watches.
The latest generation Kindle is the lightest, most compact Kindle ever and features a 6-inch, most advanced electronic ink display that reads like real paper even in bright sunlight. Kindle Touch is a new addition to the Kindle family with an easy-to-use touch screen that makes it easier than ever to turn pages, search, shop, and take notes – still with all the benefits of the most advanced electronic ink display. Kindle Touch 3G is the top of the line e-reader and offers the same new design and features of Kindle Touch, with the unparalleled added convenience of free 3G.
Amazon Web Services provides Amazon’s developer customers with access to in-the-cloud infrastructure services based on Amazon’s own back-end technology platform, which developers can use to enable virtually any type of business.
Amazon.co.uk is a trading name for Amazon EU S.a.r.l, Amazon Services Europe S.a.r.l and Amazon Media EU S.a.r.l. All three are wholly owned subsidiaries of global online retailer Amazon.com, Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN), located in Seattle, Washington. Amazon and its affiliates operate websites, including www.amazon.com, www.amazon.co.uk, www.amazon.de, www.amazon.co.jp, www.amazon.fr, www.amazon.ca, www.amazon.cn, www.amazon.it, and www.amazon.es. As used herein, “Amazon.com,” “we,” “our” and similar terms include Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise.