Online retailer Amazon.com has begun early talks with programme owners as it seeks to break into the broadband subscription television market, the Financial Times has reported.

According to reports, Amazon is looking to enter the market and compete with Netflix and Hulu.

And it has already begun preliminary talks with Viacom, the owner of MTV Networks; Time Warner; and NBC Universal.

But the FT said that talks are at an early stage and no timeline had been put in place for Amazon to launch the service.

Apple and Netflix have already been involved in an aggressive battle to court pay TV and free-to-air programme owners, as the US television business has emerged as the next big battleground.

Amazon, which already sells films and TV shows on DVD among other items, is aiming to slow down the growth of Netflix and grab a chunk of the market itself.

The company is also aiming to outflank Apple, which failed to convince TV owners to take up the best-of-TV service ahead of the launch of its iPad.

According to the FT, TV companies are unwilling to jeopardise their lucrative financial models, in which they are paid fees to pay TV service operators.