Amazon Prime Video

Prime Video, also known as Amazon Prime Video, is an American Internet video-on-demand OTT service that is developed, owned, and operated by Amazon. It offers television shows and movies for rent or purchase, a selection of Amazon Studios original content and licensed acquisitions included in the amazon's Prime subscription. In the UK, US, Germany, and many other territories, access to Prime Video is also available through a video-only membership, which does not require a full Prime subscription. In France and Italy, and other countries like Australia, Canada, India, etc. Prime Video content is only accessible through a dedicated Prime Video website. In some countries, Prime video additionally offers Amazon Channels, which allows viewers to subscribe to other suppliers' content, including HBO in the United States.

On December 14, 2016, Prime Video launched worldwide (except for Mainland China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria) expanding its reach beyond the US, the UK, Germany, Austria, and Japan. Among the new territories, the service was included with Prime in Belgium, Canada, France, India, Italy, Spain, Poland, and Brazil.

Launched on September 7, 2006, as Amazon Unbox in The United States, the service grew with its expanding library and added the Prime Video membership with the development of Prime. It was then renamed as Amazon Instant Video on Demand. After acquiring the local streaming and DVD-by-mail service LoveFilm in 2011, Prime Video was added to Prime in the United Kingdom, Germany, and Austria in 2014.

Amazon Prime Video Streaming Content

As Amazon Video started out as a place to purchase and watch TV shows and movies, the industry has changed and Amazon has embraced the world of unlimited, buffet-style streaming for a single monthly fee. Take, for example, Amazon's growing library of excellent original content such as Bosch, Catastrophe, Electric Dreams, Fleabag, Good Omens, Homecoming, Hunters, Jack Ryan, Tales From The Loop, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Patriot, The Boys, The Grand Tour, Undone, and Upload. Amazon is also producing a series based on the Fallout franchise. The list of originals continues to grow, and while it's not nearly as large as Netflix's or HBO Max's collection, many of the Prime Video's original shows also outclass Hulu's.

You get much more than just Amazon's originals with Amazon Prime Video, including shows such as Chuck, Burn Notice, Hannibal, Mr. Robot, Parks and Recreation, and The Americans at no additional cost. Note that Prime Video has already lost shows such as Justified, The X-Files, and Veronica Mars to Hulu. Other HBO shows previously on the service have left, too. More shows may leave when NBC's Peacock launches. Amazon Prime Video has the most shows than any streaming service. Prime Video is also an excellent service for watching popular movies, though the available titles rotate frequently. Like Netflix, it also creates original movies, such as Honey Boy, My Spy, Troop Zero, The Aeronauts, The Big Sick, and The Report. These movies have not fared as well as Netflix's The Irishman, El Camino, or Roma. Prime Video has more movies than any other service, but when you filter for quality, its numbers are in line with Netflix's.

Amazon Prime Video falters when it comes to anime and cartoons, though it does feature a good range of animated kids' shows and some anime titles. VRV is our Editors' A choice picks for watching anime, thanks in part to its massive library of series and films, though both Hulu and Netflix offer some anime titles as well. In terms of other animated shows, Netflix leads the pack with originals such as Bojack Horseman and Matt Groening's Disenchantment. Hulu is another good option for animated shows that premier on traditional cable networks.