Prime Video is one of the longest-standing streaming services in Australia, having been here since the end of 2016. In that time, it has grown its catalogue to have the most titles on a streaming service in Australia.
It has invested heavily in quality, original content and is responsible for some of the most talked about shows on the planet. So here are some things you might want to know before giving it a try.
Prime Video costs $9.99 a month in Australia. You can also save if you sign up for a year for $79. This is cheaper than a lot of major streaming services, even with a price rise in May 2023.
You get more than just a streaming service. You're also signing up for Amazon Prime, which aside from the ability to watch movies and TV shows gives you extras such as free expedited delivery on eligible products, plus free music, podcasts, games and more.
In September 2023, the service announced that starting in 2024, Prime Video shows and movies will include limited advertisements in Australia. There will be an ad-free option which is expected to cost more. The price of that option will be shared by Prime Video at a later date.
30 DAYS FREE: Sign up to Amazon Prime Video's free trial today
Prime Video has 2,325 TV shows and 9,551 movies and is committed to creating high-quality original content. Some of the acclaimed originals it has produced include A League of Their Own, The Summer I Turned Pretty, Reacher, Jack Ryan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Fleabag, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, The Boys and The Wheel of Time.
On the movie front, you might want to check out Shotgun Wedding, My Policeman, Catherine Called Birdy, Air and more.
That being said, it's not just originals in Prime Video's library. There are thousands of shows and movies from third parties. Check out our list of Prime Video's best shows and movies.
Prime Video is also developing local Australian content. It has titles such as cricket docuseries The Test, AFL docuseries Making Their Mark and swimming doco Head Above Water.
It's not just sports documentaries though. Other local titles include Luxe Listings Sydney and Burning. And perhaps in a big coup, Prime Video was part of rescuing Neighbours and will stream new episodes in 2023.
Yes, Prime Video is free with Amazon Prime, which comes with a 30-day free trial. This gives you access to all of the services Amazon Prime offers, including Prime Video, Amazon Music, Prime Reading and free shipping on eligible products.
Prime Video Channels are add-on subscriptions you can get through Prime Video for easy access to all your entertainment in 1 app. Choose from 14 app services to then access with a single Prime login. This includes 4 apps not available elsewhere in Australia.
Prices for these channels vary and will be extra on top of your monthly Prime Video subscription. They are additional, paid subscriptions that allow you to stream content from third-party entertainment services. The advantage here is that you'll be able to access any of these services directly through the Prime Video app, simplifying the entire streaming process.
Here are the services available via Prime Video Channels in Australia:
You can watch Prime Video on a variety of devices:
Prime Video lets you stream on 3 different devices simultaneously as long as the content you're watching differs. You can stream the same title on only 2 devices at a time.
Prime Video is undisputedly the number 1 value streaming service in Australia. Some months Prime Video is by far my favourite streaming service. Other months I go into it and find nothing to watch. The facelift to the interface last year was a move in the right direction, but still isn't the best in market. Prime Video has lots of great content, but like many of its competitors there's a chance you struggle to find it.
The rest of my household that shares my account often get caught out selecting a new movie they think they can stream, but is available only to rent or buy through Amazon. This is clearly a commercial play, but is just a confusing experience for those thinking they can watch anything they see, as you can on any other streaming service. Prime Video needs to make it clearer that those titles aren't available as part of a regular subscription. They now have yellow text to show these titles, but it's still to easy for people to miss.
I do have 1 constant issue that always plagues me with Prime Video. Any series that I rewatch often starts midway through an episode - despite having definitley watching it in full. Once I select to start the episode over it's then stuck streaming in poor quality (despite zero internet issues) or when hitting skip on the ad the screen goes black. The only way to fix it is by then forcing the app to shut and restarting. This might be an isolated problem to its app on Apple TV, but is very frustrating.
Aaron McAllister
Streaming publisher at Finder
Prime Video is a no-brainer. Why? Because you can't ignore everything beyond movies, the membership gets you. Access to Amazon Music, ebooks and video games, as well as free shipping on products you purchase through the store, are included, too.
For the equivalent of $6.58 per month (as an annual subscription) it's the best deal in town.
Thankfully, the Amazon Prime Video service itself is solid. The app is readily available and works well. There's no 4K, but some content does offer Dolby Atmos and can be downloaded for offline use. You'll also find a strong library of legacy movies, TV shows, documentaries and kids programming.
As for Prime Video exclusive content, I wouldn't say the company has knocked it out of the park, especially with movies, but it's building. Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power is the showpiece, but The Boys, The Wheel of Time, Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, Daisy Jones & the Six and The Expanse also call the platform home.
The UI can be a bit of a pain, however. Namely because numerous other additional cost content, and rentals, are displayed alongside included content.
Chris Stead
Finder Innovations Editor
Prime Video has the largest streaming catalogue in Australia, but not all of it hits the mark. While you can find big ticket items like Rings of Power and The Boys, there are hundreds of B-movies on there. Which is great if you dig disaster movies called Stormageddon, but a lot of the catalogue may not be for you.
Prime Video channels allows you to watch multiple streaming services in the one place, which saves you jumping in and out of apps. While they push their channel and store offerings, it is easy to ignore them or know if something will cost you extra money to watch. A recent interface upgrade has improved the experience of watching Prime, with better navigation and content discovery.
Minor quibble - titles stay in your watchlist, even when they are no longer able to be watched on Prime Video. But when the opposite is something just disappears without warning, it's probably more a marker of getting your act together and watching titles in time.
The service has great value, being one of the cheapest streamers around with a large catalogue, plus you get the addition of a Prime membership with delivery perks, free music and more. It's a well rounded service with extra benefits for a low monthly price.
Mark Neilsen
Streaming writer at Finder
I'm not a fan of the Prime Video interface, which seems clunky to me. Their content, however, is a constant surprise. Most of the service's original shows and movies are great, though I wish they would invest more in marketing.
While huge titles like The Lord of the Rings series get prominently featured in both the app and online campaigns, niche shows and films often go unnoticed, so you end up missing out on an excellent title simply because you had no idea it exists.
Once you settle on something to watch, streaming occurs without a hitch. In fact, Prime Video is the only other service that meets the high bar set by Netflix in this regard, as far as I'm concerned.
Alexandra Plesa
Streaming writer at Finder
Prime Video can be clunky and difficult to navigate, but the service underwent a redesign and is rolling out a new and improved interface.
Otherwise, the service comes packed with premium features that make watching content a breeze. That includes the basics – parental controls, subtitles and audio descriptions – as well as some fun extras:
Monsters stomp off the big screen into a TV series and a gritty crime series is back.
Read more…
BINGE for only $2 a month for 3 months.
Read more…
The NCIS world comes to the harbour city.
Read more…Black Friday is now over, but you can still pick up stacks of Cyber Monday deals that are every bit as good.
Sharesies boasts 500,000 Kiwi customers - or one-tenth of the New Zealand population.
Is it worth spending more with Everyday Extra or Coles Plus?
Aussies are predicted to spend $30 billion this festive season. Here's 7 key tips on how you can save on gift-buying.
Access deals and discounts of up to 65% off laptops from Dell, Microsoft, HP and more in the 2023 Cyber Monday sale event.
Upgrade your home office this Cyber Monday with 35% off ergonomic standing desks from Omnidesk.
If you're looking for iPhone deals in this year's Cyber Monday sales, check out our roundup of the very best discounts around.
Can you get a red-hot deal for the red centre?
11% of us are putting our holiday shopping on plastic.
From cutting-edge gadgets to deluxe mattresses, these are the best Black Friday deals you can get over the weekend.
Watch your faves from Disney, Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars and more.
All the biggest shows and movies from HBO and more on-demand.
Get the best of Paramount, Showtime and more. Stream A-League live.
Get heaps of sports including the NFL, NBA and F1 live or on-demand.
How can I cancel Prime videos?
Hi Tonia,
You can find info about how to cancel Prime Video here: https://www.primevideo.com/help?nodeId=GWGDSNXVPJ93UW5V
Hope this helps.
For Amazon Prime it says the subscription is $6.99 a month of $54 per year.
Does that mean I pay the $54 annually instead of paying $6.99 per month?
Hi Gaz,
Thanks for getting in touch! The membership for Amazon Prime is 6.99/month if you want to pay monthly or pay a $54 fee upfront annually. This option is given for user flexibility and it will be up to you which one you want to pay for. For monthly payers, this gives them the option to cancel anytime if they think they don’t want to use Amazon Prime. The annual fee is cheaper for users who get a lot of features using Amazon Prime since paying monthly after 12 months comes up to about $80 – a great deal!
Hope this clarifies!
Best,
Nikki
Does Prime Aust stream Gaia?
Hi Rachel,
Thank you for reaching out to finder.
Gaia the series is not yet part of the Amazon Prime library as of the moment. But you may check with Amazon Prime customer service as to when the expected date would be for the library to be updated with this series. Hope this helps!
Cheers,
Reggie