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Netflix Gets New Global Rival: Amazon Prime Video Now Available In Over 200 Countries (mashable.com)

Posted by msmash on from the aggressive-expansion dept.

Amazon announced Wednesday it is expanding its on-demand video streaming service Prime Video to nearly every country and territory except China. Prime Video, home to popular shows such as "The Grand Tour," "Transparent" and "The Man in the High Castle," will be bundled with Prime subscriptions in 19 countries including India, and Canada. In other new regions, Prime Video customers will have to pay $2.99 or 2.99 euros per month for the first six months, after which the price will be doubled to $5.99 or 5.99 euros. From a report: The global expansion of Prime Video comes nearly a year after Netflix announced it is making its streaming service available in 130 nations. Netflix is currently available in roughly 200 regions. Interestingly, Amazon is not only fighting back Netflix on content, but it is using its money power to gain instant foothold worldwide. In India, for instance, Amazon Prime Video costs less than a dollar per month for access.

65 comments

  1. Pay for Amazon Video? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Amazon Video and Music come free with Prime. That is the only reason anyone uses them, because the selection isn't great. Who would pay a monthly fee for just Video without Prime?

    1. Re:Pay for Amazon Video? by jordanjay29 · · Score: 1

      On the contrary, I find Prime Video's selection better than Netflix in most cases, especially for movies. In addition, whereas Netflix' rotating catalog means I miss out completely if I don't watch a movie in time, with Amazon I can always pony up the $3 or so it costs to rent for the night to watch. Having the option, in addition to a better catalog selection (Amazon's partnership with HBO really helps here, plus their increasing library of originals), makes Prime Video an overall better choice.

    2. Re:Pay for Amazon Video? by Austerity+Empowers · · Score: 1

      Amazon Video is second tier to Netflix for sure but aren't bad and have a few good shows. But, as they also sell hardware, it's often difficult to get them to play on any given device. There are a few platforms they have elected not to be compatible with because they are direct competitors to Amazon HW. As long as this continues, I wouldn't pay money for the service except that there's Prime.

    3. Re:Pay for Amazon Video? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It sounds like you're saying Amazon is really a competitor to iTunes, a different sort of thing than Netflix.

    4. Re:Pay for Amazon Video? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not only that - they also go out of their way to make it so you cannot watch it. Examples:

      Netflix - take out phone, open Netflix, find video hit cast and select my TV. Easy.

      Amazon - take out phone. Go to Play store. Curse at Amazon since they won't allow you to load it from the store. Turn off Android security and load the Amazon App Store, install the Prime Video app, find a video, curse at Amazon because it has no cast function. Go get one of your PCs. Hook the damn thing up to your TV, play the video from the web browser on the PC. Curse at Amazon some more since you likely now have to hook the headphone jack on the PC up to some speakers too.

      They aren't even close to equivalent in usability. Yes, some devices like Roku have it built in. But my TV and many others have Cast built in.

    5. Re:Pay for Amazon Video? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Shill?

      You don't need prime or to even go through Amazon to rent crap, so that is a silly reason to mention Amazon, especially in the context of Prime. Second, wtf does HBO have to do with Amazon? That is a separate monthly fee as well. It is almost like you are trying to say how great prime is because they have advertising partnerships with other people that you can pay to get the content through Amazon's UI. But you can also get that content for the same price through Apple's UI or numerous other UI or go direct to source.

    6. Re:Pay for Amazon Video? by jordanjay29 · · Score: 1

      Here's what HBO has to do with Amazon.

    7. Re:Pay for Amazon Video? by the_Bionic_lemming · · Score: 1

      It was incredibly simple to run video on my roku and PC.

      --
      _ _ _ Go for the eyes Boo! GO FOR THE EYES!
    8. Re:Pay for Amazon Video? by nnull · · Score: 1

      Don't forget you can actually rent videos and stream them if they're not available on prime. Something Netflix completely neglects and why their selection is diminishing.

    9. Re:Pay for Amazon Video? by the_Bionic_lemming · · Score: 1

      There are people that don't use a phone for everything, and I have no complaints with picking up my roku remote, tapping a few buttons and settling back to watch the results of a nearly effortless set of motions.

      --
      _ _ _ Go for the eyes Boo! GO FOR THE EYES!
    10. Re:Pay for Amazon Video? by gatkinso · · Score: 1

      I have both, they are both limited, and there is quite a bit of overlap.

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    11. Re:Pay for Amazon Video? by pecosdave · · Score: 2

      I agree with this guy and do the same. I find myself using Netflix more and watching the occasional something or another on Amazon.

      The Netflix app on both the Wii and PS3 are far superior to the poorly written, text truncating, fixed resolution for 1080 only Amazon app for the PS3 and the similarly bad Wii app, though the Netflix app is functional on both.

      Yes I'm poor and I still run a standard def CRT in the living room. I do have a 1080i CRT also, but it's not as big and doesn't get used in the living room.

      I also only have one ISP in my area and the bandwidth is very unreliable at times. I find Netflix deals with my fluctuations in bandwidth a lot better than Amazon does.

      Amazon for all of its flaws is still rather good and if it where the only movie streaming service you had - as long as you weren't an absolute junky - it would be fine. It's the only one I had had until I got married and my wife brought her Netflix account along, then again before I got married the only TV show I kept up with was South Park and that's before it got moved to Hulu only. Now I'm watching about a half dozen or so super hero shows.....

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    12. Re:Pay for Amazon Video? by pecosdave · · Score: 1

      now if only they would open up a bit and let the old XBMC/Kodi app work again. There was a relatively nice one that only worked if you actually logged in with an account meaning there wasn't anything shady going on, but compatibility got broke and I don't see it coming back.

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    13. Re:Pay for Amazon Video? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > Shill?
      Someone on the internet has a different opinion. They must be wrong.

    14. Re:Pay for Amazon Video? by Dutch+Gun · · Score: 2

      Heck, I subscribe to five streaming services, and at an average of $10 a month, it's still cheaper than cable. And I only subscribed to Prime because it came with some other Amazon-related goodies. If I didn't have an income, I could drop it down to one or two and still have a good selection of movies for a reasonable price + internet service, which is almost mandatory these days anyhow.

      Even so, I'm considering dropping Hulu, since I almost never watch it, and those video bugs they paste in the corner irritate me.

      --
      Irony: Agile development has too much intertia to be abandoned now.
    15. Re:Pay for Amazon Video? by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 1

      I find that to Amazon's detriment at times.

      Amazon has a better catalog, but trying to find free included videos amongst all the for-pay naff can be a challenge. It also makes the UI clunky.

      I'd use Amazon more if they filtered out the "for-pay" stuff and had a UI similar to Netflix. I hate Amazon's UI. I think they probably have a larger library of free stuff (worth watching), but their UI is so bad I'd pick Netflix over Amazon if I could only have one.

      --
      "That's the way to do it" - Punch
    16. Re: Pay for Amazon Video? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is what I have done today.
      Very frustrating.
      I'll cancel the subscription.
      In my country there are only 7 movies in the family section. Not worth it.

    17. Re:Pay for Amazon Video? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Here's what HBO has to do with Amazon.

      And nothing is exactly what my involvement with Netflix/HBO/Amazon or any other TV channel is. And I pay them nothing every month, and have been doing that for years.

    18. Re:Pay for Amazon Video? by boristdog · · Score: 2

      I don't like Amazon and I have Netflix, but I am glad Amazon is there. Competition is always good for the consumer.

  2. Anti-trust? by goombah99 · · Score: 1

    Doesn't anti-trust forbid using excessive market power in one sector to obtain dominance in other?

    --
    Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
    1. Re:Anti-trust? by rockout · · Score: 1

      I'm not a lawyer in America, but it sounds like you're talking about American law, in which case, you would be wildly off-topic as this article is about Prime Video's presence in other countries. But why let something stupid like staying on-topic get in the way of you shoehorning in your pet peeve?

      --
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    2. Re:Anti-trust? by cdrudge · · Score: 1

      It's more specific than that, but that's the start of the basic idea. But I'm not seeing where there would be any antitrust concerns here. What are you thinking might be an issue?

    3. Re:Anti-trust? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Amazon Prime Video is nothing like netflix. You have a handful of shows and old films, and that's it. The rest is rent or buy and the sole reason they're stream what little they do: they want you to pay for digital entertainment. Even Netflix's woeful library craps all over APV

      If you want anti-trust, go after Microsoft again, Google and Apple. Heck, might as well throw Sony in there too now they control the entire multimedia change from engineering cameras, mixers through to writers and the final product.

    4. Re:Anti-trust? by KingMotley · · Score: 1

      Only the in the USA, and they aren't leveraging (monopoly) power in one sector to gain dominance in another, they are simply throwing money at it, which for the most part is legal even in the USA.

    5. Re:Anti-trust? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ask Microsoft how little of a problem that's been for them.

  3. U.I. by PopeRatzo · · Score: 2

    Until Amazon can do something about the awful user interface for their video streaming service, they're not really going to challenge Netflix.

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    1. Re:U.I. by drinkypoo · · Score: 2

      Until Amazon can do something about the awful user interface for their video streaming service, they're not really going to challenge Netflix.

      Awful UI was necessary to reach feature parity. For example, they had to emulate the popular "scramble your queue for no reason" feature, and also the "drop whatever you watch most from recently watched to force you to go find it again" feature. Having successfully done these things, I guess they felt they were ready for prime time.

      Honestly, both Android clients are hot garbage.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    2. Re:U.I. by Xest · · Score: 1

      The UI is shit, but my bigger concern this year has been content. It seems they blew the entire budget on TGT, which actually isn't even very good (slow and repetitive). Other than that I don't think there's really been much else.

      To pretend it's a competitor to Netflix is just stupid, Netflix has new shit every month, Amazon only has a few bits of content in the December - Feb period - if you can pay monthly you might as well only subscribe for 2 or 3 months of the year if you're going to bother.

      I don't even factor Instant Video into the value of my Prime Subscription any more, it's far too devoid of content to be worth it. There was a decent amount last year and the year before, but this year there's been hardly anything at all of value.

    3. Re:U.I. by DerekLyons · · Score: 1

      Their awful UI and their awful selection and their pay-as-you-go (as opposed to all-you-can-eat) model.

  4. 3 shows should be free shows by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm sure I don't need to keep paying after 6 months when the cost doubles if they only have 3 shows.

  5. But way too less content by hemanr · · Score: 0

    When is that going to change?

  6. still forced to use amazon device or PC to view by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Amazon forces you to either use a PC or phone/tablet to view content. They make their app incompatible with AndroidTV except for a couple devices who probably pay them to include it. Prime Video is a worthless service when I can't even watch it on my tv.

    1. Re:still forced to use amazon device or PC to view by mwvdlee · · Score: 2

      https://play.google.com/store/...

      Seems to be compatible with all my devices, including my old Galaxy 2+.

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    2. Re:still forced to use amazon device or PC to view by Gaygirlie · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The OP's point about Amazon not allowing it on Android TV-devices stands, though. I have an NVIDIA Shield TV myself and Amazon won't allow their app on it, which makes the whole Amazon Video - thing entirely worthless for me; if I'm going to watch movies or TV-shows, it's going to be on the big screen, but I'm certainly not going to buy a whole separate device just for Amazon Video. They're only hurting themselves with their idiotic lock-in, if I can only use their services on their hardware, or everyone else's services on any hardware, then the choice is pretty damn obvious.

    3. Re:still forced to use amazon device or PC to view by 110010001000 · · Score: 1

      Amazon does allow their app on Android TV devices. But they don't port their app to every device, but they hit the most common ones (Samsung, Sony). If you really wanted to you could install the APK to your TV device and see if it worked.

    4. Re:still forced to use amazon device or PC to view by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The OP's point about Amazon not allowing it on Android TV-devices stands, though.

      False! I have no idea why this lie perpetuates. You can watch Amazon Vid' (and music) on regular Android devices, but you have to get it through their own "Amazon Store" app. Get this from Google Play as usual, run it, then use it to view apps within Amazon. From there you'll see the prime video and music clients. Just install them as normal and away you go. They'll act like Netflix, Sonos, or whatever you use.

      As for the NV shield, I have one too; the problems we have are down to NV and not what's available in the Google Play store. Ask NV why they're black-listed for over 99% of the apps when the hardware is more than capable of handling them all.

    5. Re:still forced to use amazon device or PC to view by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Uhm, no. You can side load it to your hearts content and the user interface will work, but it will not play anything unless you are on a supported device. Samsung doesn't even make an AndroidTV device, so I don't know why you bring it up. In fact why are you even opening your mouth and commenting if you have no clue about this?

      There is no Prime video on any "TV" device not made by Sony. People theorize it is coming to ShieldTV soon, because the latest iterations of the app do play back video when side loaded--but no other devices work. The side loaded app would even refuse to run all the way up until the releases last month, which as stated, still do *NOT* play back any video.

    6. Re:still forced to use amazon device or PC to view by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Do you even know what AndroidTV is? Hint is not NOT phone/tablet android. OP stated right in their post prime video works on phones/tablets. Unless you have Shield TV device (or shield pro) you are not running AndroidTV, the shield tablet runs normal android.

    7. Re:still forced to use amazon device or PC to view by hackel · · Score: 1

      Your old Galaxy 2+ is not an Android TV device. Do you have *any* Android TV devices? Can you read?

    8. Re:still forced to use amazon device or PC to view by hackel · · Score: 1

      I'd like to see you try to install the Amazon Store on my Nexus Player. Or on a Mi Box. Go ahead, try. I'll wait...

    9. Re:still forced to use amazon device or PC to view by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Funny, that page says it is incompatible with *EVERY* device I own. That includes Nexus 5X, xiaomi mibox, and the other 9 previous Android devices I've owned that Google still lists.

  7. No bundling for me by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why do they bundle it with Prime? I don'y want to pay for Prime.

    1. Re:No bundling for me by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why do they bundle it with Prime? I don'y want to pay for Prime.

      So take it the other way. You pay for Amazon Video and Music and get Prime delivery (eg free next day) benefits bundled. All of this for less than the annual Netflix (HD) subscription.

  8. non-compete by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The real irony is that Amazon is the platform for Netflix. I wonder how much of the inner workings Amazon has been privy to. How much of the trade-secret content has Amazon seen? How many years of hard work, expensive learning, and man hours moved Netflix into the well-oiled machine that it now is? And amazon gets to see that in a unique way.

    Also - Amazon can compete against it in a unique way. Amazon is the hosting provider. Amazon can put hooks in their code, like MegaSloth did with Internet Exploder, so that applications running in-house code have better access to the OS and can run faster/better/more than the competitor.

    Of course, Amazon wouldn't go here if they couldn't get a few decent law firms to say "we can get away with it". Let's see if they do.

    -EngrStudent

  9. Good luck with that Amazon by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "Now available in over 200 countries" but you still can't license your own content worldwide?

  10. Not going to happen by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Amazon video is not available on the third-generation Apple TV. I may switch to Roku if it ever stops working, but otherwise I'm not going to pay to watch movies and TV shows on a freakin' 4" iPhone display. Yes I could use airplay, but fuck that. The last thing I want to use when watching TV is a freakin' touch screen display, which is why I hate the 4th-gen Apple TV and might switch to Roku instead. Apple are losing it.

    1. Re:Not going to happen by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Apple are losing it? This is Amazon's fault...

  11. False competition by RubberDogBone · · Score: 1

    Aw come on. It's not really a competition when these services generally have different video offerings.

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    Sig for hire.
    1. Re:False competition by cdrudge · · Score: 2

      That's like saying GM and Toyota don't compete because they don't make the same cars. Or Google and Apple because they don't make the same phone OS.

      Both Netflix and Amazon offer movies, tv shows, and original content for streaming. Specific offerings differ, but they are all in the streaming entertainment category so they are in competition with each other, vying for the same potential subscribers.

  12. Lacking Content (no big surprise) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Saw this news earlier and logged into my amazon.ca account and man, there's nothin' there. Even the suggestions were weak (and if anything Amazon knows my movie / tv buying habits better than I do)

    The originals look cringe-worthy as well. I pay for Prime for various reasons, this new video feature ain't one

  13. Yeah, but how many can actually use it? by James+Carnley · · Score: 1

    Amazon refuses to make Apple TV, Android TV, or Chromecast clients for Amazon Video so that locks out a huge number of people wanting to use the service. I already pay for Amazon Prime but I've never used their service because they simply don't allow me to. If they fix that then maybe it will be a competitor to Netflix.

    1. Re:Yeah, but how many can actually use it? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, Chromecast or bust for me. I'll stick to Netflix I guess. I watch too much TV already anyway.

    2. Re:Yeah, but how many can actually use it? by Gilgaron · · Score: 1

      If you have an AppleTV you can AirPlay it from your phone, but yeah, the segregation of which boxes can get which content is annoying. I'd probably have bought a Roku to be compatible with most everything but we were given the AppleTV by my FIL who had no use for it, so the slight annoyance isn't worth buying extra hardware.

    3. Re:Yeah, but how many can actually use it? by hackel · · Score: 1

      Please cancel your Amazon Prime subscription and tell them why. It's the only hope we have to get them to change their minds.

  14. Just Say No to the app by Cajun+Hell · · Score: 1

    A good rule of thumb: if you have to use a video vendor's app to play the video (instead of the usual "use your favorite player"), then you're better off just pirating.

    I just can't take Amazon video seriously yet (any more than Netflix). These companies need to use standards if they want my money. If you limit what it can be played on, then you're limiting who can be a paying customer.

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    "Believe me!" -- Donald Trump
  15. Please by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Can we please, please get an Apple TV app? I mean, there's already iOS apps available on iPhone and iPad - why you gotta be like this Amazon?

  16. No Apple TV? No thanks. by Just+Some+Guy · · Score: 1

    Amazon won't release an app for Apple TV (mumbling some crap about "stream from your phone with AirPlay!"), so it's a nonstarter. I don't want to tie up my phone while watching shows on a big screen. Oh, they'll go on about "we're protesting Apple's pricing!" or such, but the app is already on iPhones and iPads!

    The real story is that they don't want to undercut their own TV hardware. They dropped Apple TV from sales, and searching for Apple TV on Amazon gives their own crap streamer as the top suggestion. No, Amazon, I don't want your hardware. I already have my own. If I have to buy into your ecosystem to watch Prime Video, I'll stick to Netflix.

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    Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?
    1. Re:No Apple TV? No thanks. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm honestly surprised Amazon isn't getting smacked with some anti-trust stuff over some of this.

    2. Re:No Apple TV? No thanks. by Just+Some+Guy · · Score: 1

      So am I. Say what you will about Apple, but 1) they don't have a monopoly in any of their product spaces and 2) they host their competitors' apps on the same terms as everyone else's. People would be outraged if they were doing something half as shady.

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      Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?
  17. No competition just yet. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Canada's offering has less content than crackle currently. It's not worth the price yet.

  18. Not really international yet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The kind of only nice way to watch it, a FireTV (stick), they still only sell in a handful of countries.
    And they refuse to even ship them to anywhere else (even if you are willing to buy from e.g. Amazon UK), so there actually is no way at all to buy them e.g. in Sweden.

  19. Android TV by hackel · · Score: 1

    Amazon will expand to 200 countries, but won't expand to the millions of customers in the US and elsewhere that use Android TV—even though their own video players are based on the platform. That is insanity. I will continue to boycott Amazon and steal its content until it corrects this absurd decision, and I encourage everyone to do the same.

  20. Tinfoil Hat Time by DarthVain · · Score: 1

    Anyone else feel the paranoia and suspicion that it was just yesterday that Slashdot posted about the Grand Tour being the "most" pirated TV show in the world, which is available on Amazon Prime. Which seems to have prompted the expected response about "well Amazon Prime isn't available outside the US"! Then we get this followup story about Amazon Prime announcing they are suddenly releasing Amazon Prime in every country around the world...

    Am I living in a meta commercial? Are we in Slashdot so influential? Is Amazon reacting to piracy numbers?

    Only one thing to do, tighten the strap on my tinfoil hat, and hope the Faraday cage hasn't sprung a leak, because it is time to hunker down and softly rock back and forth...

  21. But will all the content? by HalAtWork · · Score: 1

    ...or will it be regional for some reason like Netflix?

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  22. Stutter issue = worthless by AKCoder · · Score: 1

    Did Amazon fix their player issue on Fire TV, Apple TV, XBox 1 and Tivo yet? Every single one of them stutters to death.

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