Prime 101
Amazon Prime Video -- sometimes just called Prime Video -- is Amazon's TV and movie streaming service. Before the Prime Video we know today, Amazon launched Amazon Unbox, an online movie rental, and download service, back in 2006 -- just before Netflix introduced online streaming.
In 2011, as a way to boost the Prime subscription service, Amazon created Amazon Instant Video, with access to 5,000 streaming movies and TV shows for Prime subscribers. Unbox officially shuttered in 2015, and Amazon began marketing its streaming service as Amazon Prime Video. It became available as a standalone service outside of Amazon Prime in 2016.
If you are one of the 150 million-plus people worldwide who subscribe to Amazon Prime for the free two-day shipping ($13 per month or $119 per year), Prime Video is included with the service. If you don't have an Amazon Prime account, you can still subscribe to Prime Video for $9 a month, the same price as Netflix's Basic Plan, and a few bucks more than the Hulu Plus Ads plan. Prime Video subscribers can add on subscriptions to HBO, Showtime, Starz, Paramount Plus, and several other channels for an extra monthly cost as well.
Critically acclaimed TV, and loads of movies that are... less so
Prime Video lists more than 200 Amazon Original Series on the site -- larger than Hulu's 100 or so originals, and smaller than Netflix's collection of several hundred. Amazon's Original series stand out for the amount of critical acclaim they've received: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Boys, Fleabag, A Very English Scandal, Good Omens, The Man In The High Castle, Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, Transparent, and Mozart in the Jungle all were nominated for or won Emmy awards in the past few years. These shows are typically made available on the platform a full season at a time.
And later this year Amazon's Lord of the Rings prequel series will debut on Prime Video as well. Amazon reportedly paid nearly $250 million for the rights, which would make it the most expensive TV series ever.
Original movies include Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, The Big Sick, Manchester By the Sea, Late Night, and The Report. You'll also find exclusive original comedy specials, kids' shows, documentaries, and reality shows.
Another area where Prime Video stands out is its selection of kids' shows. You'll find favorites like Sesame Street, Spongebob Squarepants, Shaun the Sheep, Thomas and Friends, and Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, along with originals like Clifford the Big Red Dog and Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny.
Prime Video also includes an extensive catalog of B-movies that are pretty terrible and super fun to watch -- just not necessarily with the kids.
While Prime Video is great for binge-watching original shows and older favorites, one downside is that there's no option to keep up with current shows like you can on Hulu, unless you subscribe to one of the channels for an extra cost.
Prime Video's best features
One cool feature that differentiates Prime Video from other streaming services is called X-Ray. Thanks to Amazon's ownership of IMDb, you can scroll up while playing a given show or movie and see information on cast members, the music playing and trivia -- helping you avoid "wait, don't I know that guy from somewhere?" syndrome.
Another perk: Prime Video is generally ad-free. You may see a short promo for an Amazon Original before a show. But Prime Video doesn't run regular advertising, so you won't see ads for things like soda or trucks during any commercial breaks in your programming. The exception is the IMDb TV category, where you'll find some popular network shows like Lost and Friday Night Lights free with ads.
To aid your binge planning, Prime Video does tell you what new shows are coming up for the month, which Hulu does as well but Netflix does not.
Most Amazon Original movies and shows along with several others are available to stream in 4K Ultra High Definition with HDR. This is great news, since, in our experience, HDR delivers a more noticeable picture quality improvement, especially on a good TV, than 4K resolution. You'll need a 4K UHD display and a streaming device that supports the format, including 4K-compatible smart TVs and streaming players like the Amazon Fire TV or Fire TV Stick, the Apple TV 4K, and the Roku Streaming Stick Plus, among others.
Up until recently, Prime hasn't allowed you to create separate user profiles, like Netflix, Hulu, and Disney Plus do. But that feature has now rolled out on most devices, with users being able to add up to six different profiles, including kids profiles, on one account.
You can download Prime Video titles to watch offline if you have a Fire tablet or the Prime Video app for iOS or Android.
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