Prime Video is one of the leading streaming services today, alongside HBO Max, Paramount+, Netflix, Disney+, and a few others, but it lags behind those in my humble opinion. The big issue I have is that the other services all feel like streaming services first and foremost, while Prime Video feels more like a side hustle. I know that’s not the case, but the user interface leaves a lot to be desired, especially when compared to the desktop version.

Amazon frequently touts the success of Prime Video, and just three weeks ago, the company said it reaches 130 million households in the U.S. through the ad-supported tier. No matter how you slice it, that’s a giant number, but it is a number that’s up to interpretation. If you’re anything like me, you viewed Prime Video as a bonus to a regular Prime membership more than you did as a streaming service. It wasn’t until Amazon started putting more effort into Prime Video that I started to view it as its own thing. As it turns out, as Amazon continues to invest in the service, the harsher my opinion becomes of it. That’s obviously not what Amazon has in mind, but I can’t help but wonder if this is the right direction.

Simultaneous streams

3

# of profiles

6

Originals

Yes

Live TV

Limited (some add-on channels offer live TV)

Price

$8.99 per month by itself or $14.99 per month as a part of Prime

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Prime Video doesn’t have an identity

This app isn’t fun to navigate

Prime Video

Prime Video is a unique app in the sense that you can sign up for other services through it. You can watch HBO Max, Mubi, AMC+, Apple TV+, and a few other services through the app as long as you have active subscriptions for them. The issue with this is that it gets confusing in a hurry, especially if you don’t have all those services. They show up in the carousel of movies and shows regardless of whether you’re paying or not, so you can easily get a bunch of things you can’t watch mixed in with things you can.

Purchases and rentals are all included in the UI too, so it feels like an amalgamation of all types of things mixed together on one screen. I’d much prefer having things tucked away behind tabs instead of being on the home screen. The result of this is a clunky experience, and it’s not an issue I have on other platforms where things are more easily found. It almost feels like a service that’s designed to get you to sign up to other services. It seems like there is just as much from other platforms being advertised as there are Prime originals.

I haven’t even gotten into the strange AI-generated content Prime Video uses yet either. I’m sure there are more examples floating around, but with 2024’s Nosferatu looming, many people decided to check out the original 1922 film only to discover Prime Video used an AI-generated poster to promote the film. It was met with a lot of backlash, but the film appeared untouched, so no harm was done in that end, thankfully. With AI posing a greater threat each passing day though, this type of stuff might become more of the norm. As of right now, it’s just an annoyance that I hope doesn’t grow to become something bigger.

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Prime Video feels like a rug pull

Things have changed quickly

Amazon / Pocket-lint

It’s not uncommon for services to feel like they lose value as the years go by. YouTube TV started off as a major disrupter to the traditional cable plan thanks to its aggressively low price and ease of access. As time went on, YouTube TV has now positioned itself at a price that rivals cable, and while it’s still nice to have, it doesn’t have anywhere close to the value it once held. I think the same thing can be said of Prime Video, and it’s rather shocking when you look back on it.

The biggest thing the company has done is the rug pull of ad-free into ad-supported. For years, Prime Video was free of ads, and as a service that was included at no extra charge with a regular Prime subscription, I didn’t have much to be unhappy with. It turns out that wasn’t good enough for Amazon, and the company decided to put in advertisements as well as lock Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos behind higher tiers. This is something that HBO Max has done, so it’s not like it’s out of the ordinary. It costs an extra $2.99 to get to that higher tier, but it’s an annoyance that didn’t feel necessary.

On the bright side, a standalone Prime Video subscription, with ads, costs $8.99, so it’s actually one of the cheaper services from that perspective. The issue is, I get a lot more value out of having Amazon Prime, even with its flaws, and Prime Video just feels like a bonus on top of that. The end result is a confusing payment model that’s not helped by how the services are named. Prime Video comes with Amazon Prime for free, but Prime Video doesn’t come with Amazon Prime because they aren’t the same thing. Did you get all that?

As somebody who writes about streaming services for a living, I even find the whole process confusing. I can’t even begin to imagine how somebody who doesn’t know the ins and outs of services feels. With Amazon securing both NFL and NBA games, it’s going to bring in even more of an audience, so I hope they know how to not only pay for the service, but how to navigate it too.

I think the UI could use a complete overhaul (again) that separates rentals, purchases, and other services into separate sections. I don’t like seeing everything mixed together because it just mucks everything up. It’s no fun finding something to watch only to find out I’m missing a subscription to some niche service. Then again, Amazon has no reason to do this since the company is already boasting about how many subscribers it continues to gain. How many of those subscribers are just Prime subscribers with no idea that Prime Video comes along with it? I can’t say for sure, but I feel like it’s a sizable number. In the end, they’re subscribers all the same.

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