Amazon Prime membership now includes unlimited, commercial-free streaming of over 5,000 movies and TV shows. The new benefits of Amazon’s premium service expand Amazon Prime beyond its focus that, until now, has primarily offered customers cheaper and expedited shipping.
Amazon’s new streaming video service has been anticipated for several months, as the retail giant moves to compete with Netflix in the movie-streaming – not simply the DVD rental or purchase – business.
As a part of Amazon Prime, available for $79 a year, Amazon’s new streaming service works out to a little under $7 a month. Will this be a competitive price to lure Netflix subscribers away? And will Amazon offer a sufficient catalog for movie lovers?
The launch of this new feature comes – so far – without company fanfare, first noticed by The Next Web’s Matt Brian this morning. We anticipate Amazon will make a formal announcement with more details.
Update: Amazon just announced the service, adding this key detail: Prime Instant Video Service is available today for Roku customers as part of the Amazon Instant Video Channel on Roku
Currently the service is only available to U.S. customers. If you’re not a subscriber, you can sign up for a free trial and give it a whirl.
