The Final Step

Last Monday Amazon announced they will be opening a Global Digital Media Development Centre in London in the coming months. The Centre will be in an eight-storey centre at Glasshouse Yard near Barbican, only minutes from Silicon Roundabout.

The new centre will be headed by Paula Byrne, former CEO of Pushbutton which was acquired by Amazon back in July 2011. Pushbutton which creates interactive TV applications will be joining the LOVEFiLM team who have been providing TV and film over the internet in the UK for a number of years.

Speaking on Bloomberg TV, Ms Byrne said the centre will be focused on “bringing TV to everyone, everywhere they want it”. She also stated that the talent in the UK is “used to building interactive TV applications” and that London was the obvious choice for such a centre. When asked about the global aspect of the centre, Byrne explained that the centre will be working not just in the UK and Europe, but aims to be truly international including bringing innovations to the Amazon streaming service in the US as well as in new markets.

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, when asked to comment on the announcement said it was a “splendid feather in our caps” and "we thank them for their vote of confidence". He also added “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 will be retaining its UK Headquarters in Slough and its current offices on Newman Street in the West End and plans to pool its existing development staff at the centre with the possibility of future expansion. Amazon’s press page has the full details.