Prime Video Review: The Swiss Army Knife of Streaming

Streaming Smarter says: Prime Video might be the most versatile streaming service around. You’ll get a rotating library of movies and TV shows, original films and series, and the ability to add on other premium streamers. Prime Video is also branching out into sports with Thursday Night Football, Yankees baseball, NASCAR, National Women’s Soccer League, AEW pay-per-view events, and more. Perhaps best of all, Prime Video comes free with your Amazon Prime Video subscription.

$8.99/mo.

Get 30 Days Free

What Does Prime Video Cost?

Most people get Prime Video free with Amazon Prime – that costs $139/year or $14.99/month. Amazon Prime gives you free delivery and free Grubhub+. You can buy Prime Video by itself, however.

Can You Watch Prime Video for Free?

Enjoy Prime Video free for 30 days! It’s the most generous free trial in streaming.

Are There Any Deals or Discounts for Prime Video?

Prime Video itself rarely goes on sale. But Prime Video is fantastic for deals on its add-on premium channels. You can get a 7-day free trial of dozens of wonderful streamers like STARZ, Discovery+, BritBox, Acorn TV, AMC+, Paramount+, and many more.

As long as you’re a Prime Video member, you can also choose bundle discounts like this:

• STARZ – $1.99/month for 3 months (Save up to $27, ends March 31)
• Max and STARZ – $20.99 (Save $7)
• STARZ and BET+ – $15.99 (Save $6)
• AMC+ and Discovery+ – $13.99 (Save $6)
• STARZ and BritBox – $14.99 (Save $5)
• AMC+ and Acorn TV – $11.99 (Save $6)
• AMC+ and MGM+ – $11.99 (Save $5)
• PBS Kids and PBS Masterpiece – $7.99 (Save $3)
• Max and Cinemax – $21.99 (Save $5)
• STARZ and MGM+ – $11.99 (Save $6)
• STARZ and AMC+ – $13.99 (Save $7)

Does Prime Video Have Originals?

Yes, Prime Video has had some of the most successful streaming original shows like “The Boys,” “Reacher,” “Invincible,” “Fallout,” and “Fleabag.” You’ll also see “Batman: Caped Crusader,” “The Wheel of Time,” “Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” “The Legend of Vox Machina,” and “Hazbin Hotel.”

Prime Video original films include “Picture This,” “You’re Cordially Invited,” “Ricky Stanicky,” “Saltburn,” “Air,” “Being the Ricardos,” “One Night in Miami,” “The Tomorrow War,” and “Coming 2 America.”

Thanks to Amazon’s deep pockets, Prime Video creates more originals than every streamer not named Netflix.

What Movies Does Prime Video Have?

Beyond its original films, Prime Video’s library changes frequently. There’s always something worth watching, but the movies don’t stick around forever. Act quickly if there’s something you want to watch.

Titles as of this review include “Fargo,” “Challengers,” “Hoosiers,” “American Psycho,” “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” “Oppenheimer,” “Starship Troopers,” “The Royal Tenenbaums,” “Knives Out,” “Terrifier,” “Point Break,” “Moonstruck,” “Scarface,” “Die Hard,” “Jurassic World,” “Legally Blonde,” and “Fall Guy.”

What TV Shows Does Prime Video Have?

Prime Video is a true grab-bag of TV with shows like “Monty Python’s Flying Circus,” “Hannibal,” “American Gladiators,” “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse,” “SpongeBob SquarePants,” “Battlestar Galactica,” “Saved By The Bell,” “Dallas,” “The Biggest Loser,” “Heroes,” “Pawn Stars,” “Frasier,” “Lonesome Dove,” and “Father Knows Best.”

I do get frustrated with Prime Video because some shows only include some seasons. There’s a “bait and switch” element of the interface that drives me crazy sometimes. The search bar allows you to find virtually any movie or show, but you don’t always know if it’s included in Prime Video or an additional charge until you click through.

What Kids Content Does Prime Video Have?

The Prime Video kids library is fairly weak. Some popular titles include “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood,” “Teen Titans,” “Arthur,” “Blaze and the Monster Machines,” “The Stinky & Dirty Show,” “Clifford’s Puppy Days,” “Dino Dana,”

The movie library includes films from Paramount and Universal like “Madagascar,” “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” “PAW Patrol: Mighty Pups,” and “Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie.”

You can bolster the library with add-on subscriptions to services like PBS Kids, Hopster Learning, Yippee Kids TV, Kidstream, Sensical, Kartoon Channel, or Ryan and Friends Plus.

What Sports Does Prime Video Have?

NFL fans turn to Prime Video for its exclusive Thursday Night Football games.

Starting in October 2025, Prime Video will have 66 regular-season NBA games. Users will also see a number of WNBA games.

Prime Video offers 21 New York Yankees games to viewers in New York State, Connecticut, north and central New Jersey, and northeast Pennsylvania.

If you live in Washington state, Oregon, or Alaska, you can watch Seattle Kraken NHL games.

Soccer fans will enjoy 25 regular-season NWSL games and one quarterfinal playoff game.

Prime Video is also home to AEW pay-per-view events, Premier Boxing Champions, ONE Championship, 5 NASCAR Cup Series races, and Overtime Elite basketball games.

You can enhance your sports lineup with add-on FanDuel Sports Network, NBA League Pass, WNBA League Pass, MLB.TV, NBA TV, Willow TV (cricket), and SquashTV.

Can You Download Prime Video Content?

Yes, you can download most movies and TV shows.

What Devices Work with Prime Video?

What Premium Streamers Can You Add as Prime Video Channels?

My favorite thing about Prime Video is how you can supercharge it with premium add-ons. With almost all of them, you get a free 7-day trial, so you can try a new streamer every week!

Start with the major streamers: Max, Apple TV+, Paramount+, MGM+, STARZ, AMC+, Discovery+, Hallmark+

Boost your package with major sports streamers: FanDuel Sports Network, NBA League Pass, WNBA League Pass, MLB.TV, NBA TV

Go deeper with niche sports: Willow TV (cricket), SquashTV, MyOutdoorTV, Echoboom Sports

Get healthier: AcaciaTV, BeFiT, Fitfusion by Jillian Michaels, Gaiam TV Fit & Yoga, Outside TV Features, The Surf Network, Daily Burn, FUEL TV+, Grokker Yoga & Fitness

Consider other general entertainment add-ons: Cinemax, Lifetime Movie Club, MovieSphere+

Celebrate Black culture: BET+, ALLBLK, Fuse+, Brown Sugar

Dig into the performing arts: Marquee TV, BroadwayHD, Carnegie Hall+, Qello Concerts, The Coda Collection, Stingray Djazz, Stingray Classica

Discover documentaries: Doc Club, Docubay, Docurama, Dox, HISTORY Vault, PBS Documentaries, XiveTV Documentaries, Daring Docs

Learn something new: The Great Courses Signature Collection, PBS Living, The Great Courses Living, Curiosity Stream, Curiosity University

Cozy up in the kitchen: Food Matters TV, Tastemade

Choose more entertainment for kids and family: PBS Kids, Pokémon, Sensical, Ameba, Kartoon Channel, Hopster Learning, Yippee Kids TV, Kidstream, Great American Pure Flix, Ryan and Friends Plus, UP Faith & Family, Dove Channel, PixL

Explore special interests: Passionflix, RetroCrush, Crunchyroll, HIDIVE, Midnight Pulp, Hi-YAH!, A&E Crime Central, Gaia, Inside Outside, Stingray Karaoke, REELZ Famous & Infamous Select, Warriors & Gangsters, XLTV, Sleep Sounds & Meditation, Destiny Image TV

Add LGBTQ content: OUTtv, Revry, Here TV, Dekkoo

Enjoy independent film: MUBI, Strand Releasing, FilmBox, Fandor, Indie Club, Sundance Now, IFC Films Unlimited, ScreenPix, Cohen Media Channel, Magnolia Selects, Film Movement Plus, Shorts TV, BFI Player Classics, IndiePix Unlimited, IndieFlix Shorts

Tap into British entertainment: BritBox, PBS Masterpiece, Acorn TV, BBC Select, True Royalty, Best of British Television

Add international and non-English streamers: ViX, France Channel, MHz Choice + topic, Eros Now, KOCOWA, CJ ENM Selects, Kino Film Collection, Viaplay, Toku, Doki, Demand Africa, Cocina ON, FlixLatino, Pinoy Box Office, Pongalo Next, Vemox Cine

Explore the dark side with horror streamers: Shudder, ScreamBox, Monsters and Nightmares, Full Moon Features, Fear Factory

Pick up classic entertainment: Best TV Ever, Shout! Factory TV, Best Westerns Ever

Is Prime Video Worth It?

On its own, Prime Video is a good streamer, but it falls short of great. Its boundary-pushing original series include some true gems of the streaming era. And Prime Video’s sports lineup seems to get better every year.

Because Prime Video relies on other studios for the majority of its library, the month-to-month value of the service changes more than the streamers that control their own back-catalogs.

Prime Video comes free with the Amazon Prime service I already pay for. But I only tend to scroll through it when watching a new season of “The Boys” or during Thursday Night Football. It’s the streaming service I forget I have.

I wish Prime Video would fix its awful navigation and its weak kids library. That, along with a greater investment in original content, would make Prime Video feel more essential.

That said, I love the ability to bulk up the library with additional streaming services. Doing that makes Prime Video an excellent entertainment hub.

$8.99/mo.

Get 30 Days Free

Peter Gardner

Peter Gardner cut the cord in 2017. He’s Streaming Smarter’s resident sci-fi fan – his favorite films include “Blade Runner,” “Children of Men,” “2001: A Space Odyssey,” and “Gattaca.” His favorite live TV streamer is Sling TV and his favorite on-demand service is Max.