As part of IGN’s State of Streaming event, we’re taking a fresh look at the major streaming services and what they offer subscribers in 2023.
Though many use it simply because it comes free with their Amazon Prime subscription, a selection of high profile original TV programming and a fun catalog mean Prime is still standing tall among its competitors. While it lacks the prestige of Max or the game-changing shows of Netflix, an affordable price point, unique perks, and wide selection of programming and customization make Prime Video an attractive option.
Prime Video’s TV shows and Movies
To really dig into the most important part of any streaming service we're going to be breaking this section down into four segments. First we'll be looking at the original programming each platform has to offer, then we're delving into their back catalog, next up will be anything that really stands out and makes the streamer unique, then finally it'll be any glaring omissions.
Originals: Though it took a while to really get moving, Prime Video has carved out a pretty solid space in the original programming landscape. Amazon Studios invested massive amounts of money into fantasy projects like The Wheel of Time and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. But the biggest impact has been felt in animation, where Amazon crafted beautifully made series like Invincible, Undone, and The Legend of Vox Machina. Between the first of those shows, a beloved and brutal adaptation of The Boys, and Boots Riley’s gorgeous I’m a Virgo, Prime Video has the market cornered on superhero satire.
Prime Video found more genre success recently with Good Omens Season 2, and dads everywhere can't get enough of their espionage action series Reacher and Jack Ryan. When it comes to original movies, the selection is a little smaller, but Amazon has had some hits like the recent royalty-themed romance Red White & Royal Blue and its business biopic team-up with Ben Affleck, Air. Like most services now. Prime Video also offers a certain amount of live sports including Thursday night NFL games.
Back catalog: Amazon offers an impressive selection of films and TV to subscribers as well as users of its free ad-supported streaming television (or FAST) service, Freevee. From newer blockbusters like Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves and The Batman to more obscure exploitation flicks like Caged Fury and erotic thrillers like Wild Things, this is one of the more fun sections of Prime Video to dig through. You’ll also find plenty of recent studio and indie releases exclusive to the streamer: As of this writing, those include Jordan Peele's alien invasion masterpiece, Nope; animal-attack B-movie Cocaine Bear; and Willem Dafoe's trapped-room mindbender Inside.
When it comes to TV, Prime Video has a little less to offer in its main service – though still includes eclectic shows like Teen Wolf, The Tudors, and 90210. But Freevee’s offerings are pretty great: The erstwhile IMDb TV hit its stride with original comedies this year thanks to Jury Duty and Primo, and it’s still a destination for free episodes of classic series like Murder She Wrote and Columbo.
Glaring omissions: It's hard to claim that Prime Video has any glaring omissions considering that it’s more of an Amazon Prime perk than a traditional streaming service. But it could do with building out its catalog to appeal to the more casual film viewer. If you’re not a B-movie lover or willing to dig through a lot of lesser-known titles, you might run out options quickly.
Standout: The immense catalog of free ad-supported TV that Prime Video offers on its own platform and through Freevee. The huge catalog expands the options that Prime Video subscribers have by a wide margin and is also available to those who don't subscribe to Prime Video. This is a great example of the adaptability of the platform, which also makes it easy to add multiple subscriptions and premium channels to really customize the streamer for your tastes. Another big selling point includes live sports – Thursday Night Football is the headliner, but all subscribers have access to WNBA games, soccer matches, and MMA bouts – which for either $8.99 or $14.99 a month is far cheaper than cable or pay-per-view alternatives.
Prime Video’s User Interface
One of the immediate things that you'll notice on Prime Video is the low resolution of the thumbnails that advertise the shows on the Smart TV app. The resolution of the menu screens is far higher on desktop and some smart phones. But that's a small aesthetic issue rather than one that affects the actual way you use the app. In general Prime Video runs relatively well with far less buffering and syncing issues than Netflix.
Unlike other streamers Amazon doesn't offer a standard HD setting, instead offering up different options for different films – i.e. some are terrible rips, and some newer films and TV are presented in stunning HD. But this is far from the most high-tech of streamers, with some of the movies included looking rarely better than a YouTube or VHS rip. That’s part of the cost of having a great selection of older movies, many of which haven't been remastered or even re-released on physical media in years.
Prime Video offers an interesting and relatively distinctive aspect to its platform: The ease with which subscribers can add other services and paid channels to their account. It's an interesting choice that allows viewers to easily scroll between their subscriptions on the Prime Video home page. With that said, the looseness with Prime Video treats its home page can also lead to one of the platform's most frustrating problems. The way that Prime Video displays its programming can be easy to confuse with films and TV that are only available via purchase or rental. Again, it's not the end of the world but it's an annoying quirk of the platform.
Prime Video’s Price
Prime Video generally costs $14.99 a month as part of an Amazon Prime membership that comes with free two-day delivery and discounts at Whole Foods and Amazon Fresh. But you can also access just the video-streaming library for $8.99 a month. That lands the service on the lower end of subscription costs, a relatively fair price for what it includes.
This all comes with a big caveat: Prime Video will soon follow the industry trend of creating ad-supported tiers. Bucking the tradition of making a cheaper ad-supported service to lure in new subscribers, it’ll be adding commercials to the standard plan and charging users $2.99 extra a month to remove them. When this comes into play, it’ll make Prime Video one of the pricier streaming choices: Most apps charge less than half of Amazon Prime's current monthly cost for their equivalent ad-supported services.
