Is Amazon Prime Video worth it?

Prime Video is one of the most popular streaming services in the UK, with around 45% of households subscribing - second only to Netflix's approximately 59% reach.

It can be taken either as a standalone Prime Video subscription, or as part of Amazon Prime, which bundles streaming with benefits such as free one-day delivery, Prime Music, Prime Reading and seasonal shopping perks.

However, as Prime Video has expanded its catalogue, a growing share of films and series now sit behind rentals, add-on subscriptions or ad-supported viewing, which can make the content included with the base subscription feel more limited than it once did.

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TL;DR: Quick verdict

Amazon Prime Video offers strong value for households that already use Amazon regularly, combining a broad on-demand catalogue with Ultra HD streaming included as standard and access to exclusive Amazon Originals. While it doesn't match Netflix for volume of originals or discovery, it remains one of the most versatile streaming services available in the UK.

The service increasingly sits somewhere between a traditional streaming platform and a content marketplace. Alongside included films and series, Prime Video also surfaces rentals, purchases, and add-on subscriptions, which can make the catalogue feel less clear-cut than Netflix's "all-in" approach.

Overall, Prime Video is best viewed as part of a wider ecosystem rather than a standalone streaming competitor. For many households, it works best alongside Netflix rather than instead of it.

Worth it if...

• You already use Amazon regularly and benefit from Prime delivery and extras
• You want Ultra HD streaming included without paying a premium tier
• You enjoy Amazon Originals like The Boys, Reacher and Good Omens
• You're happy mixing included content with occasional rentals or add-ons

Less ideal if...

• You want a clearly defined catalogue with no rental or upsell content
• You mainly watch original series and want the widest exclusive library
• You prefer a cleaner browsing experience with fewer content tiers
• You expect Prime Video to be bundled into a pay TV package at no extra cost

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At a glance: How to get Amazon Prime Video on TV

Amazon Prime Video is widely supported as an on-demand app across pay TV boxes, smart TVs and streaming devices, but unlike Netflix or NOW, it is rarely included as part of a TV subscription at no extra cost.

Instead, most households access Prime Video by subscribing directly with Amazon and watching via a compatible TV box or app. Support for Prime Video on pay TV platforms has expanded steadily over time - with BT becoming the first major UK TV provider to add Prime Video to its TV boxes in 2018 - and it is now available across most broadband-supplied TV platforms.

In practice, the easiest way to watch Prime Video on your TV is to choose a broadband deal that includes a compatible TV box or streaming platform, then add Prime Video separately.

Here are some broadband and TV deals that support Prime Video on TV:

Virgin Media offers a 10% bill credit on subscriptions taken through its Flex plan, including Prime Video. This effectively reduces the monthly cost of Prime Video by around 59p for Flex customers.

Amazon Prime Video is supported on both the Sky Stream box and Sky Glass sets. Sky Essential TV is currently discounted to £15 per month for the first 24 months, and customers can add a Prime Video subscription directly through the Sky Stream platform.

BT and EE frequently offer incentives for new fibre customers, including reward cards worth up to £150. The BT TV service is only available with BT broadband, and both BT and EE customers can access Prime Video via the BT/EE TV Box Pro.

Mobile offers

It's also possible to get Amazon Prime Video through selected mobile providers, with O2 and Vodafone both offering Prime as part of their mobile plans or billing options.

New and upgrading O2 mobile customers can get Amazon Prime (including Prime Video and shopping benefits) in several ways. Customers on Classic plans typically get three months of Prime included, while those on Plus plans get six months. After the free period, Prime costs £8.99 per month when added as an Extra. Customers on O2's Ultimate plans can get Amazon Prime included for the length of their plan.

Existing O2 customers can also pay for Amazon Prime through their O2 bill and receive a £2 per month airtime discount while subscribed.

Vodafone customers can choose Amazon Prime as their Entertainment benefit, with Prime included for the full duration of the mobile contract (usually 24 months). Prime can also be added via Vodafone's Charge to Bill service, which has previously offered promotional pricing for new subscribers.

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What does Amazon Prime Video offer?

Amazon Prime Video is an on-demand streaming service offering a mix of included films and TV shows, alongside Amazon Original series such as The Boys, Gen V, Good Omens, The Grand Tour, and The Continental.

Prime Video also includes selected live sports content, although this is now more limited than in previous years. In the UK, Amazon holds rights to a selection of UEFA Champions League matches from the 2024-25 season onwards, typically showing one featured match per matchweek. It also carries tennis coverage including the ATP Tour, WTA Tour and the Next Gen ATP Finals.

Unlike Netflix, Prime Video operates a mixed catalogue. Alongside included titles, customers will also see films and series available to rent or buy, as well as content that sits behind additional paid subscriptions.

Prime Video also acts as a broader streaming platform, allowing customers to add third-party channels and services within the Prime Video app. This can be useful for households that rely on a single smart TV or TV box and want to manage multiple subscriptions in one place.

Available add-on channels include services such as Paramount+, Discovery+, Lionsgate+, ITVX Premium, Hayu, MGM, StudioCanal Presents, Icon Film Channel, Sundance Now, Acorn TV, BFI Player, Curzon and others, often with introductory free trials.

In this sense, Prime Video functions as a hybrid service - part subscription streaming platform, part digital storefront - rather than a fully "all-in" catalogue like Netflix or Disney+, where most content is included within the base subscription.

Categories

Amazon Prime Video offers a broad range of browsing categories designed to help viewers explore content by format, origin and availability, rather than just by genre.

Common top-level categories on Prime Video typically include:

• Movies
• TV shows
• Amazon Originals
• Kids & Family
• Sports
• Made in Europe
• Free with ads
• 4K UHD

These categories are not fixed and can change throughout the year. Seasonal collections are frequently added - for example Christmas, Halloween or award-season film hubs - alongside temporary editorial rails tied to new releases.

The Prime Video home screen also relies heavily on horizontal content rails, such as recommendations based on viewing history, Originals and exclusives, trending titles, and the current Top 10 in the UK. This helps surface popular content, but can sometimes blur the distinction between included titles and those that require rental, purchase or additional subscriptions.

Alongside these collections, viewers can browse by genre:

While these tools make discovery easier, Prime Video differs from Netflix in that not all titles surfaced through search and browsing are included with the subscription.

Some films and series are free with adverts, others require one-off rental or purchase, and some sit behind additional paid channel subscriptions.

Two areas that define Prime Video most clearly are Amazon Originals and sport.

Amazon Originals

Amazon Prime Video has built a strong reputation for high-budget original series, alongside acquiring exclusive rights to selected shows.

Well-known Amazon Originals include:

• The Boys and spin-off Gen V
• Good Omens
• The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
• The Wheel of Time
• The Marvelous Mrs Maisel
• Bosch and Bosch: Legacy
• The Grand Tour

Because this content is exclusive to Prime Video, Originals remain a key reason many households subscribe to the service.

Compared with Netflix's high-volume Originals strategy, Amazon tends to release fewer series overall, but often invests more heavily in large-scale productions and franchise-led shows.

Sport

Amazon Prime Video has become an important destination for live tennis coverage in the UK, even though it no longer holds rights to Premier League football.

Prime Video's current UK sports coverage includes:

• Selected ATP Tour tennis events
• Selected WTA Tour tennis events
• Grand Slam tournaments such as the US Open

Prime Video previously attracted significant subscriber growth from live sport, adding more than 600,000 subscribers during periods of expanded coverage.

Unlike dedicated sports platforms, live sport on Prime Video is included within the standard subscription when available, rather than sold as a separate sports add-on.

It's also possible for Prime Video customers to subscribe to other sports services through the platform, including Discovery+, which provides access to live TNT Sports and Eurosport channels.

While Prime Video's sports offering is now narrower than in previous years, tennis coverage continues to differentiate it from rivals such as Netflix, which currently focuses more on one-off live events rather than regular sports schedules.

Channels and subscriptions

Amazon Prime Video also acts as a distribution platform for other on-demand services and paid channels, allowing customers to manage multiple subscriptions through a single interface.

These channels are billed separately and are not included in the standard Prime Video subscription, but they can be useful for households that want centralised access via one app.

Popular add-on services available through Prime Video include:

• Paramount+
• Discovery+
• MGM+
• Lionsgate+
• BritBox
• StudioCanal Presents
• Icon Film Channel
• Hayu
• Sundance Now
• MUBI
• Acorn TV
• BFI Player
• Curzon

There are also numerous niche channels covering genres such as documentaries, international cinema, crime, history and specialist sports.

This hub-style approach can be particularly useful on TV platforms with more limited app ecosystems. For example, the BT TV Box Pro supports Prime Video, allowing access to a wider range of services through the Prime Video interface than are natively available on the box itself.

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How to watch Amazon Prime Video

The Amazon Prime Video app is fairly well supported, with most pay TV customers able to access it, as well as customers using a range of smart TV sticks, game consoles, or smart TVs.

Devices currently compatible with the Amazon Prime Video app include:

How to watch Amazon Prime Video

The Amazon Prime Video app is widely supported across pay TV boxes, smart TVs, streaming devices and games consoles, making it easy for most households to watch without needing extra hardware.

Devices currently compatible with the Amazon Prime Video app include:

As one of the longest-established streaming services, Prime Video is available on most modern TV platforms and devices, and is also built into Amazon's own Fire TV ecosystem.

For more information, see our guide to the best smart streaming devices.

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What is Amazon Prime - and is it worth bundling Prime Video?

Amazon Prime is a bundled membership that combines Prime Video with a range of wider Amazon benefits, most notably free one-day delivery on eligible items.

Alongside Prime Video, an Amazon Prime subscription also includes Amazon Music Prime, Prime Reading, Prime Gaming, and access to exclusive shopping events such as Prime Day, as well as discounted upgrades to services like Amazon Music Unlimited and Audible.

Amazon Prime costs £8.99 per month or £95 per year (equivalent to £7.92 per month). For customers who only want the streaming service, Prime Video is also available as a standalone subscription for £5.99 per month.

From a viewing perspective, there is no difference in picture quality between Prime Video taken on its own or via Amazon Prime. All subscribers can stream in 1080p HD and Ultra HD (4K) where available, with no higher-priced tiers required.

Prime Video allows streaming on up to three devices at once, with up to two devices watching the same programme simultaneously. Many films and series can also be downloaded for offline viewing, subject to studio restrictions.

Where the value calculation changes is outside of TV. For households that regularly shop on Amazon, the delivery benefits alone can outweigh the difference between the £5.99 Prime Video-only price and the full Prime membership. For others who mainly want TV and films, the standalone Prime Video subscription may make more sense.

It's also worth noting that Prime Video acts as a hybrid platform: while it includes a library of films and series at no extra cost, it also prominently features paid rentals, purchases, and optional add-on channels. This can make the catalogue feel broader, but less "all-in" than services like Netflix.

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Verdict: Is Amazon Prime worth it?

According to the most recent Ofcom Media Nations report published in 2023, 45% of UK households have a subscription to Amazon Prime Video, making it the second most popular streaming service in the UK.

Amazon Prime Video has come a long way since it took over the Lovefilm branding in 2014, becoming a major rival to Netflix and a mainstream part of UK TV viewing.

The service offers a wide range of included content, from Amazon Originals to exclusive live sports fixtures, alongside HD and Ultra HD viewing as standard where available.

For customers taking the full Amazon Prime membership, Prime Video also sits alongside other benefits such as Amazon Music Prime and free next-day delivery, which can make the overall package good value when viewed as a bundle rather than a standalone streaming service.

However, one of the most common frustrations with Prime Video is the prominence of paid-for content. While Amazon is clear about which titles are included and which require an extra payment, the mix of rentals, purchases and add-on subscriptions can make it harder to see at a glance what's actually part of the subscription.

This is particularly noticeable where early episodes or seasons are included, but later content sits behind a rental or channel paywall - something that can feel at odds with expectations of a subscription service.

Overall, Amazon Prime Video offers strong original programming and solid picture quality, but its hybrid approach means value depends heavily on how a household uses Amazon more broadly.

For a direct comparison of features, pricing and viewing experience, see our full Netflix vs Amazon Prime Video comparison, or explore which streaming service is the best in the UK.