Amazon Prime Video's original series 'Bosch'
One of several original series offered by the e-commerce giant. Amazon
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In a bid to challenge Netflix directly, Amazon has now begun allowing people in the U.S. to subscribe separately to Amazon Prime Video*, the company’s streaming service for movies and TV, for just $8.99 a month. Previously, if you wanted Amazon Prime Video, you had to purchase a full Amazon Prime subscription ($99 a year), which also includes free shipping for goods purchased on Amazon.com. You can now also subscribe to the full free-shipping/video Prime combo plan for $10.99 a month as well. All three options are all available if you click the button “see more plans” on this page.

Amazon’s streaming video plans

You can sign up for a monthly subscription for video, monthly for video and shipping, or annually for video and shipping.

As Engadget notes, this comes years after Amazon first quietly tested, then discontinued, a $7.99 montly subscription for Prime back in 2012. The move also comes as Netflix is set to begin hiking its monthly streaming subscription bill next month, from $8.99 to $9.99 for longtime customers.

Both Amazon and Netflix offer lots of mainstream movies and TV shows, as well as growing libraries of exclusive original programming. But right now, Netflix has more of the latter. Let the streaming wars commence!

  • On a side note: when did Amazon stop calling it Amazon Prime Instant and start calling it Amazon Prime Video? I wish they would just pick one and stick to it!
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