Amazon Sets New High After Signing NBCUniversal Kindle Deal

Shares of Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN), the world's top bookseller, set a new yearly high after the developer of the Kindle and Kindle Fire said it would now offer streaming video from NBCUniversal, including hot shows such as "Friday Night Lights" and "Battlestar Galactica."

Amazon shares hit a new record of $246.87 before easing back to close at $245.74, up $4.54. The Seattle-based bookseller and Kindle Fire company said the NBC programs would be added to its Amazon Prime services, which now offer 22,000 movies and TV programs that battle content from the iPad from Apple.

Shares of Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMSCA), the owner of NBCUniversal, rose a dime to $34.05, not much below their yearly high of $35.16, while shares of Apple rose 59 cents to $663.22 only $11.66 below their record high set on Tuesday.

Amazon shares swooned in last year's fourth quarter when CEO Jeff Bezos said he would bet the company on the Kindle Fire and sacrifice short-term profits to build the tablet and its Amazon Prime offerings into best sellers. Since then, shares have gained nearly 80 percent, about the same as Apple's gain.