Netflix and Hulu are vying for consumers turning off their TVs and tuning into digital video. But Amazon may be better positioned to grab their attention, and Brad Beale is a major reason why.
As Amazon's head of digital-video content acquisition, Mr. Beale is responsible for building up the library of the e-commerce giant's Emmy-nominated Instant Video service. This year alone he has secured exclusive streaming rights to TV hits including "Downton Abbey," "Under the Dome" (in an innovative deal with CBS) and "Justified," ballooning Amazon's streaming depository to more than 150,000 movies and TV episodes.
Mr. Beale's success in picking up popular shows may explain why influential investor Mark Suster pointed to Amazon, not Netflix or Hulu, as the biggest threat to YouTube's digital-video dominance.