Here's why Amazon is suddenly taking on YouTube (AMZN)

On Tuesday, Amazon announced that it's taking on YouTube directly with a service called Amazon Video Direct.

This chart from Statista, based on data from the Internet Advertising Bureau, shows why. Interest in consuming TV shows online has actually dropped slightly in 2016, and amateur online-video viewership has remained flat.

The only segment that's growing is original digital video — precisely the kind of video Amazon Video Direct is aiming to collect.

Statista

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