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Amazon
Amazon Prime Video is an on-demand streaming service with many popular movies and shows, including hit original series like "Jack Ryan" and "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power."
It's one of the many benefits included with a full Amazon Prime membership, but you can also sign up for Prime Video on its own. And if you want even more content to watch, you can even add extra streaming channels to your subscription for an additional fee.
To help you get started, we broke down all the ins and outs of Amazon Prime Video, including details on all of the service's features, supported devices, and popular exclusives.
Prime Video is an ad-free streaming service with thousands of on-demand movies and shows, including several original titles you won't find on any other platforms. The service is included with a full Amazon Prime membership, and it's also available as a standalone subscription.
In addition to all the films and series you get included with your membership, Prime Video also lets subscribers rent or buy more titles for an extra fee. The service also lets you sign up for over 100 premium channels to expand your library even more.
Prime Video is included with an Amazon Prime membership for $15 a month or $139 a year. If you're not interested in any of Amazon Prime's other perks, you can sign up for Prime Video on its own for $9 a month.
Students at US colleges and universities can save 50% and pay just $7.49 a month or $69 a year for Amazon Prime with Prime Student. EBT and Medicaid cardholders can qualify to receive a discounted Amazon Prime rate of $7 a month.
You can sign up for Prime Video as part of a full Amazon Prime membership by visiting the Amazon Prime sign-up page.
To sign up for Prime Video as a standalone service, you can visit this sign-up page and click "See more plans" at the bottom of the page. You can then select the Prime Video option for $9 a month.
New members can get a free trial of Amazon Prime — which includes Prime Video — for 30 days. That's one of the longest free trial periods you can get for any streaming service. College students get an even longer trial and can claim six months of the service for free.
After the trial period, you can continue paying the regular rate or cancel your plan. You'll need to cancel your subscription before the end of the trial in order to avoid paying for your next month. There is no free trial specific to just Prime Video.
You can watch Prime Video on your web browser, iOS and Android phones, and more. Here's a list of devices compatible with Prime Video:
Prime Video's standalone subscription option is one of the most affordable ad-free streaming service plans on the market. At $9 a month, the service costs less than ad-free Disney Plus, HBO Max, Peacock, Paramount Plus, Hulu, or Netflix.
Unlike most streaming services, Prime Video also lets you pay extra to purchase individual movies and shows that aren't already included with your subscription. You can then keep them in your Prime account to watch on demand. This is a feature that only Apple TV also offers.
Prime Video is also the only streaming service you can get as part of an Amazon Prime membership. If you frequently have Amazon items shipped to your home, the addition of Amazon Prime for $6 more a month is a no brainer.
Prime Video supports a number of advanced video and audio formats, including high dynamic range (HDR), 4K Ultra HD, and Dolby Atmos.
All HDR titles use the HDR10 and HDR10+ formats. Another HDR format, Dolby Vision, is also supported on a select number of titles.
When it comes to advanced audio, Prime Video supports Dolby Atmos on some shows and movies, but the selection is nowhere near as big as it is on Netflix or Disney Plus. The info page for each title typically reveals whether it supports audio formats like Atmos.
You should check your devices first to see if your video and audio gear will play Prime Video content in these advanced formats.
Prime Video
Prime Video is home to a wide range of original series and films, as well as select titles from studios like MGM, Paramount, Warner Media, Universal, Lionsgate, Sony, and more.
Some notable original shows developed exclusively for Prime Video include current hits like:
Meanwhile, the service's rotating library of studio films includes big releases and classics like "No Time to Die," "La La Land," "The Hobbit," "Superbad," and "The Hunger Games." You can also stream classic shows like "Downton Abbey," "House," "Will & Grace," and more.
The streaming service is also making ground in the sports market. In 2022, Prime Video became the exclusive broadcaster for Thursday Night Football.
In addition to its on-demand streaming library, Prime Video offers several channel add-ons. For an additional monthly price, subscribers can add premium services to their Prime Video membership and unlock even more movies and shows.
Some premium networks that are available as Prime Video add-on channels include Starz, Showtime, Cinemax, and Epix. You can even add other streaming services, like HBO Max, Discovery Plus, and Paramount Plus, to Prime Video.
There's also Freevee, which is a completely free ad-supported channel that you can watch via Prime Video.
