The video pay-per-view business would probably be pretty good if almost every company in the world was not already in it. Starting with Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) and running across a wide spectrum of firms all the way to the telecom companies and cable, video-on-demand subscription services are available to consumers in bunches.

Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), which already has a foothold in the business, is about to go back for more. According to The New York Times, "Customers of Amazon's new store will be able to start watching any of 40,000 movies and television programs immediately after ordering them because they stream, just like programs on a cable video-on-demand service." In other words, the customers will not have to wait for the files to download, which does not take all that long on most good high-speed connections.

The launch seems like an odd way to waste the time of Amazon's management. It really has nothing special to make its service stand out among all the others. So, why bother?

Amazon has had some skill doing well in businesses where others have not. It moved from selling books to offering everything from consumer electronics to DVDs online and has profited well from it. A number of other companies who have tried to get into the niche have failed.

Amazon may simply be launching a new VOD service because it can. It may be something that strengthens it bond with customers, but nothing more.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.