Is Amazon about to get in the middle of the Netflix/Apple/Google fight for online streaming media dominance? A new report suggests that it will - and sooner than you might expect.

According to a story in the Wall Street Journal, Amazon is looking to launch a subscription-based streaming TV and movie content to a variety of devices by this year's holiday season. The newspaper's sources suggest that companies approached by the online giant include NBC Universal, Time Warner, Viacom and News Corp, adding that the initial offerings available for subscription may focus on older shows and movies so as to seem less threatening to other revenue streams for the content providers.

Amazon currently offers movies and some TV shows for digital download and rental as is, and it's unclear what, exactly, would be different about this new system. But with Apple expected to unveil their new AppleTV today, this may be a battle that's just about to heat up...