Dive Brief:
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On Monday, Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced that its cloud infrastructure will now serve media streaming service Hulu, according to a company press release. The shift marks Hulu’s first large-scale use of the cloud, joining the ranks of other streaming giants Netflix and Amazon Prime Video using AWS.
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The May launch of Hulu’s live over-the-top TV service drove the company to AWS for its faster time to market and cost savings compared to building out Hulu’s own data structures, according to the announcement.
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In addition to Hulu, AWS also announced credit scoring service FICO’s decision to move to Amazon’s cloud platform, along with the unveiling of new security and analytics tools.
Dive Insight:
More companies and organizations are turning to cloud platforms and computing to operate. This year alone, public cloud services are expected to total $246.8 billion — up from $209.2 billion in 2016 — and expand by 18% year-over-year, according to Gartner.
Hulu’s move to AWS, the undisputed king of the cloud market, is not unprecedented in the industry. Netflix turned to AWS in 2015 because it offered the largest scale and variety of services and features. Amazon’s own Prime Video streaming service has been on the company’s cloud platform since its inception.
AWS revenues currently outstrip the overall cloud infrastructure services market, according to new Q2 data from Synergy Research Group. The company boasts an overall 34% share of the market, more than three times the size of its next largest competitor, Microsoft, which holds 11% of the market.
AWS’ growth does not appear to be slowing down. AWS averaged 43% and 42% year to year growth in this year’s Q1 and Q2, respectively, and brought in $1.8 billion in the first half of the year, according to Amazon’s Q2 2017 earnings report.
