Amazon will monetize doorbell footage into entertainment television.
Key details
Amazon-owned companies Ring and MGM Studios are working together to create a TV show similar to America’s Funniest Home Videos, using footage gathered from the doorbell videos.
The show will feature viral video clips from the cameras, like animal antics, marriage proposals, and neighbors saving neighbors.
Ring Nation will be hosted by actor and comedian Wanda Sykes. The half-hour show will premiere on September 26.
Using footage gathered by the doorbells means that the show will most likely be relatively cheap to produce.
Why it’s news
“You have one company that owns two juggernauts and has just figured out how to leverage one against the other,” Robert Passikoff, president of the brand research firm Brand Keys, told The Associated Press. It’s a synergistic project, creating a third business out of two very different enterprises.
While viewers may enjoy fun viral videos homeowners have posted online, the show does come amid complaints about Ring’s privacy and security.
As more property owners choose to install Ring cameras, critics worry that neighborhoods are becoming places of constant surveillance.
Amazon stated last month that it had released footage to law enforcement without user’s permission 11 times this year. All instances were emergency requests, according to Amazon.
Many of the videos to be featured on the show have been posted online previously, however Amazon spokesman Nick Schweers said that the show has received permission from video owners and these featured in the videos.