What Is Amazon Prime Video? How and Why You Should Sign up

Prime Video lets you stream popular movies and original shows — here's how to sign up with or without Amazon Prime

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• Prime Video is Amazon's on-demand streaming platform with thousands of movies and TV shows.
• The service is included with a full Amazon Prime membership for $15/month or $139/year.
• You can also sign up for Prime Video on its own for $9/month.

Amazon Prime Video is an on-demand streaming service with many popular movies and shows, including hit original series like "The Boys," "Fleabag," and "Daisy Jones and the Six." It's one of the many benefits included with an Amazon Prime membership, which makes it one of the best streaming services for online shoppers.

You can also sign up for Prime Video on its own if you don't want to pay for a full Prime subscription. And if you want even more content to watch, you can add extra Amazon Prime Video 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. 

What is Prime Video?

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. 

How much does Prime Video cost?

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.

Amazon Prime Video Monthly Subscription

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Amazon Prime Monthly Subscription

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Amazon Prime Student Monthly Subscription

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How do I sign up for Prime Video?

You can sign up for Prime Video by visiting the Amazon Prime sign-up page.

Can I try Prime Video for free?

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.

Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial

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What devices can I use to watch 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:

• Chrome
• Firefox
• Internet Explorer
• Microsoft Edge
• Safari
• Opera
• Android
• iOs (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch)
• Chromecast
• Comcast X1
• Cox Contour
• Dish Network
• Nvidia Shield
• Oculus
• Apple TVs
• Smart TVs from every major brand
• Amazon Fire TVs
• Amazon Fire Tablet
• Amazon Echo
• PlayStation consoles (3, 4, and 5)
• Microsoft Xbox Series (Series X, Series S, One, 360)
• Blu-ray players (LG, Panasonic, Samsung, Sony)

How does Prime Video compare to other streaming services?

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, 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. 

Does Prime Video support 4K and HDR?

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.

What shows and movies are on Prime Video?

"The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power." 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 hits like:

• "Daisy Jones and the Six"
• "Fleabag"
• "Invincible"
• "Reacher"
• "Swarm"
• "Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan" 
• "The Boys"
• "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power"
• "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"
• "The Summer I Turned Pretty"
• "The Wheel of Time"

Meanwhile, the service's rotating library of studio films includes big releases like "A Knock at the Cabin," "Cocaine Bear," "Bones and All," and "The Black Phone." 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.

What are Prime Video channels?

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 MGM+. You can even add other streaming services, like Max, Discovery Plus, and Paramount Plus, to Prime Video. 

There's also Amazon Freevee, which is an ad-supported streaming platform with more movies and shows, including originals and FAST (free ad-supported streaming television) channels. You can access Freevee within the Prime Video app and via a standalone app.