Amazon Prime Video

• 1. Introduction

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  Amazon Prime Video holds about 205 million paid memberships worldwide, placing it second only to Netflix among subscription streaming services globally. The platform launched on the 7th of September 2006, under a completely different name. It was called Amazon Unbox. Customers could download purchased movies to their computers. There was no streaming capability, no original programming, and no reach outside the United States. How does a download shop become one of the two dominant forces in global video streaming? And what does it cost to build that position? On the 22nd of February 2011, a single rebranding announcement added 5,000 movies and television shows to the service overnight.

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• 2. Building the Library

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  On the 4th of September 2008, Amazon renamed the service Amazon Video on Demand. The 2012 content deals that followed would prove far more consequential than any name change. On February 8 of that year, a deal with Viacom brought programming from MTV, Nickelodeon, and Comedy Central to Prime members. TV Land, VH1, CMT, Spike, BET, and Logo TV were included in the same agreement. Discovery Communications followed in March, contributing shows from the Discovery Channel, Science Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Military Channel, and Investigation Discovery. Paramount Pictures signed on in May to stream hundreds of movies. In June, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer added its films and television shows to the platform. Warner Bros. Television arrived in July, making The West Wing and Fringe exclusively available on the service. By September, a deal with the pay-television channel Epix brought further movie titles, in a move Amazon described as a bid to rival Netflix. Turner Broadcasting joined in December, contributing shows from TNT.

  A+E Networks joined the content roster in January 2013, adding programming from A&E, the Biography Channel, the History Channel, and Lifetime. In July of that year, Prime Instant Video began streaming titles from Miramax. Amazon had acquired LoveFilm, a UK-based streaming and DVD-by-mail service, in 2011. In February 2014, the streaming portion of LoveFilm folded into Instant Video, extending the service to subscribers in the United Kingdom, Germany, and Austria. Those markets paid a monthly rate of £8.99 or €8.99.

  In September 2015, the word Instant was dropped from the service's title in the United States, leaving it simply Amazon Video. On the 18th of April 2016, Amazon made the service available as a standalone subscription at $8.99 per month. For the first time, US customers could access it without holding a full Prime membership.

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• 3. Original Ambitions

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  In January 2015, Transparent became the first show produced by Amazon Studios to take home a major award. It was also the first series from any streaming service to win the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series. The award was in the musical or comedy category. That prize marked a turning point: Amazon was no longer merely licensing other studios' content. It was producing its own, and winning for it.

  On the 30th of July 2015, Amazon announced it had hired Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May. The three were signed to produce a motoring show for the platform, later named The Grand Tour. Jeff Bezos, Amazon's founder, said the deal was 'very expensive but worth it,' though neither he nor the company disclosed actual figures. Andy Wilman, the former executive producer of Top Gear, offered a partial picture. He said each episode of The Grand Tour carried a budget of around £4.5 million. That figure was nine times larger than Top Gear's own per-episode cost.

  Amazon announced in November 2016 that it planned to stream The Grand Tour globally. That announcement fueled speculation about whether Prime Video would begin a wider international rollout. On the 14th of December 2016, Prime Video expanded into 200 additional territories. The launch excluded mainland China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria. In countries where the service launched as a standalone offering, the initial price was $2.99 or €2.99 per month. After the first six months, that rate rose to $5.99 or €5.99. In 2017, Amazon Studios purchased the global television adaptation rights to The Lord of the Rings. The eventual production, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, would stream on Prime Video.

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• 4. The Sports Portfolio

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  In April 2017, Amazon acquired non-exclusive rights to stream portions of the NFL's Thursday Night Football games during the 2017 season. The deal was worth $50 million and replaced a previous arrangement with Twitter. Because Prime Video requires a paid subscription, the NFL mandated a simultaneous broadcast on over-the-air television. Those stations would serve viewers in each team's local market.

  In August 2017, Amazon acquired the British television rights to the ATP World Tour beginning in 2019, replacing Sky Sports. The arrangement ran until 2023. It covered all Masters 1000 events, along with 12 of the 500 and 250 series tournaments. In November 2017, Amazon secured the British television rights to the US Open for a reported £30 million. That deal covered five years of the championship, beginning with the 2018 edition.

  In June 2018, Amazon secured the UK rights to broadcast 20 live Premier League matches per season. The initial agreement covered three seasons, starting with 2019-20. This was the first time the Premier League appeared on a domestic live streaming service rather than exclusively on traditional television. Amazon later extended the deal for another three years, running through the 2024-25 season.

  On the 18th of March 2021, Prime Video announced it had renewed its exclusive US deal to broadcast Thursday Night Football. The renewed agreement covers the 2022 through 2033 seasons. On the 1st of July 2022, Amazon acquired a share of the UK rights to the UEFA Champions League, beginning in the 2024-25 season. That package covers 17 Tuesday-night matches per season. On the 24th of July 2024, Amazon announced an 11-year agreement with the NBA, starting in the 2025-26 season. The deal includes 66 regular-season games per year, the NBA Cup semifinals and finals, and all Play-In Tournament games. Selected playoff games are also included, along with one conference final in odd-numbered years.

  While building its sports portfolio through the late 2010s, Amazon was also pursuing a deal that would reshape its position in Hollywood. On the 17th of May 2021, it entered formal negotiations to acquire one of the oldest studios in the industry.

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• 5. The MGM Acquisition

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  On the 26th of May 2021, Amazon announced it would acquire Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for $8.45 billion, subject to regulatory approvals. The deal closed on the 17th of March 2022, after receiving all required governmental clearances. MGM continued to operate as a label alongside Amazon Studios rather than being absorbed outright.

  In July 2021, Amazon reached a multi-year deal with Universal Pictures to bring Universal's films to Prime Video. Titles from Universal's library and future theatrical releases would become available after their first pay window and four months after release on Peacock. The arrangement made major franchises including Fast and Furious, Jurassic Park, and Bourne eligible to stream on Prime Video.

  On the 9th of February 2022, Amazon signed a long-term exclusive deal with Shepperton Studios for use of new production facilities in the UK. Prime Video also struck a deal with Nigerian studio Anthill Studios as part of an expansion into Nigeria. In that market, the service offers subsidized subscription rates and publishes original Nigerian content under the Prime Video Naija label. On the 1st of October 2024, Amazon and Amazon MGM Studios jointly joined the Motion Picture Association. The membership placed Amazon alongside the major studios as a formal member of Hollywood's principal trade organization.

  On the 31st of July 2022, the service announced an expansion into Southeast Asia, offering its platform in Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines, with localized content and interfaces.

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• 6. Channels and Advertising

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  In 2015, Amazon launched a platform it called the Streaming Partners Program, later renamed Amazon Channels. The service allowed Prime Video subscribers to add third-party streaming channels to their subscription, paying for each separately. The initial US launch included Curiosity Stream, Lifetime Movie Club, AMC's Shudder, Showtime, and Starz. Subsequent additions included HBO, Cinemax, Boomerang, Discovery Channel, PBS Kids, and Fandor.

  In January 2017, Amazon launched Anime Strike, an anime-focused channel within the Channels service. Four months later, Amazon Channels expanded into Germany and the United Kingdom. In the UK, Amazon reached deals to offer programming from Discovery Communications, including Eurosport, as well as live and on-demand content from ITV. Anime Strike and Heera, a channel devoted to Indian films and series, were eventually discontinued as separate services. Their content was merged into the main Prime Video library at no additional charge.

  At the end of January 2024, Prime Video began carrying limited advertisements within its standard subscription tier. Subscribers who wanted to avoid them could pay an additional $2.99 per month. The ad-supported model joined a broader shift across the streaming industry, as advertising revenue can prove more lucrative than ad-free subscription income alone.

  Peter Friedlander joined Amazon as Head of Global Television in September 2025. His remit encompasses original series, international productions, animation, unscripted content, and global intellectual property. The appointment came with Prime Video's 11-year NBA deal already signed but still waiting to air its first game.

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