If it has confused some UK streamers that Amazon use the Lovefilm Instant name in the UK, then be confused no more. The US online retail giant will re-brand the service as Amazon Prime Instant Video on February 26.

Even better is the fact that the change will be a win-win for UK Amazon Prime members as well as Lovefilm instant subscribers. If you are a Lovefilm customer then you will continue to pay £5.99 per month for unlimited streaming, but you also now have the option to pay extra for the latest titles and download them for offline streaming.

For Amazon Prime UK customers, you suddenly have a much bigger choice of streaming as you get access to the Lovefilm library of over 15,000 movies and TV shows. The only fly in the ointment is that when your Amazon Prime subscription is due for renewal, it will cost £79 instead of the existing £49, a £30 hike for all that extra content.

Lovefilm customers will still have access to the DVD by mail service, but Prime members wont. but the new rebranding exercise will open up the free shipping service and access to the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library as well.

They believe the new offering will even appeal to rival Netflix subscribers, as VP for Amazon Instant Video UK and Germany, Tim Leslie said, “Even if you have another service you are going to want our service. It is the only place you are going to be able to find certain great TV shows, movies and original content all in one place. It is the most complete digital video service in the UK.”

Amazon brought shares in LoveFilm back in 2008, then completed a full buy-out in 2011, to promote it’s online TV and movie streaming in the UK, and the rebrand shows they are getting mighty serious about those rival upstarts Netflix and digital TV in general.

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Lovefilm the streaming arm of Amazon in Europe, have inked a deal to bring classic cartoons to Germany. The deal signed with Warner Bros International Television Distribution, will bring titles that include Tom and Jerry, The Flintstones, The Sylvester and Tweety Show and Scooby Doo.

The deal will also bring DC Comic cartoons to the monthly subscription service. Titles include Batman: The Brave And The Bold and Superman.

Lovefilm streaming is the European offshoot of Amazon and launched in Germany back in 2006, but has grown rapidly since being purchased partly by Amazon in 2008 which turned to full ownership in 2011.

Speaking about the deal, for WB, President of Worldwide Television Distribution Jeffrey R. Schlesinger said, “We are very pleased to extend our relationship with Amazon in Germany, having similar deals with LoveFilm in other territories. This deal exemplifies the increasing desire for viewers in Germany to access our programming both in a linear broadcast but also on demand to either catchup, rewatch or discover for the first time.”

Speaking for Lovefilm Germany, MD Dr. Christoph Schneider said, “Diversified entertainment for the whole family is one of the central topics for Amazon’s Lovefilm; this is why we are continuously expanding our wide-ranging SVOD offering for kids of every age.”

The Amazon studio’s rollout of pilot TV shows for public judgement continues, as the streaming arm of the online retailer launch 10 more all-new pilot TV shows in the US and UK.

Viewers can pop over to Amazon and watch the pilots, then vote on which ones should go into full production. The shows encompass all tastes including two drama shows which includes X Files creator Chris Carter’s show The After, along with serial killer show, Bosch, three comedies and five kids shows.

Amazon have already been down this road and last year, and launched 14 original content pilots that resulted in its first two full series, the comedies Betas and Alpha House. Three kids shows in Annesdroids, Creative Galaxy, and TumbleLeaf will launch later this year.

Amazon Prime owners can watch them all for free, Prime Instant Video and UK offshoot, LoveFilm users can also watch them and then provide feedback crowd-source style.

The Amazon Studios department was launched back in 2010, tasked with finding and creating new online programming. They have since received many thousands of scripts and projects as they attempt to compete with rival Netflix and their award winning original shows.

Lovefilm have grabbed the rights to some classic kids TV shows that include Pingu, Thomas & Friends, Bob the Builder, Fireman Sam, Where’s Wally and Chuggington.

It’s a well used ploy of streaming subscription sites to appeal to the whole family, and keeping the kids quiet tends to make mum and dad break out the credit card.

Speaking about the kid friendly content, Lovefilm’s content strategy director Chris Bird said, “The addition of this new children’s content enhances our already fantastic range of iconic characters and classic shows. Our streaming service is particularly suited to family content, and parents and their kids can now enjoy an even broader variety of family-friendly entertainment whenever they want, however they want.”

The only problem is that some of this content is so old it may well appeal more to nostalgic parents remembering their own childhood, rather than the children of today who’s tastes may have moved on.

UK streaming service Lovefilm are getting all historical again, after it was revealed they have picked up the second season of Vikings from MGM Television.

The Norse show which stars Travis Fimmel and Katheryn Winnick, returns after all 9 episodes of the first season were nabbed by Amazon-owned Lovefilm last year.

The original deal was a first for Lovefilm in aquiring first run streaming rights to a show. All 10 episodes of season 2 of Vikings will start becoming available from February 28. Every weekly episode will be made available the day after airing on the History channel in the US.

In the second season of Vikings, the Norse warrior Ragnar Lothbrok (Fimmel) who is now Earl and allied with King Horrik, becomes more powerful as he continues with his men, to explore and pillage new kingdoms.

Speaking about the acquisition, Lovefilm’s director of Film Strategy, Chris Bird said,“Vikings has been a huge hit with our members and received incredible feedback, so we’re thrilled to start 2014 with a bang by bringing the horde back to British screens in the eagerly anticipated second season. With Michael Hirst at the helm the Vikings storyline contains something for everyone – love, conflict, revenge, adventure and of course epic battle scenes worthy of Viking folklore.”

For MGM president of distribution and acquisitions Chris Ottinger said, “We are excited to further our relationship with Lovefilm to bring the highly-anticipated second season of Vikings to their subscribers in 2014, and offering the opportunity to stream the latest episodes within 24 hours of the US airdate, watching every epic battle in high-definition.”

In the US, Vikings can be watched on the Amazon Prime Instant Video service.