History of Amazon Prime Video in Timeline
Amazon Prime Video is a subscription-based streaming service owned by Amazon, offering a wide range of films and TV series. It features content produced by Amazon MGM Studios (Amazon Originals) and licensed content from other providers. It also includes content add-ons, live sports, and options for renting or purchasing videos. Prime Video is available as a standalone service or as part of an Amazon Prime subscription. With 200 million paid memberships, it ranks as the second most-subscribed video-on-demand streaming service, after Netflix.
September 7, 2006: Amazon Unbox Launch
On September 7, 2006, Amazon Unbox was launched in the United States, marking the beginning of what would later become Amazon Prime Video.
2006: Prime Video initial rollout
From 2006 to 2015, Amazon Prime Video was offered on local Amazon websites in countries where the Amazon video-on-demand store was available for purchasing and renting movies and television shows. These countries were part of the initial batch of locations to roll out Prime Video.
September 4, 2008: Service Renamed Amazon Video on Demand
On September 4, 2008, Amazon Unbox was renamed Amazon Video on Demand.
February 22, 2011: Rebranded as Amazon Instant Video
On February 22, 2011, the service rebranded as Amazon Instant Video and provided access to 5,000 movies and TV shows for Amazon Prime members.
2011: Acquisition of LoveFilm
In 2011, Amazon acquired the UK-based streaming and DVD-by-mail service LoveFilm.
February 8, 2012: Deal with Viacom
On February 8, 2012, Amazon signed a deal with Viacom to add shows from MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, TV Land, VH1, CMT, Spike, BET, and Logo TV to Prime Instant Video.
September 4, 2012: Deal with Epix
On September 4, 2012, Amazon signed a deal with pay-TV channel Epix (now known as MGM+) to feature movies on their streaming service, in a move to rival their competitor Netflix.
2012: Prime Video Launched in Scandinavia
In 2012, Prime Video was available in Norway, Denmark, and Sweden.
November 2013: Premiere of Alpha House and Betas
In November 2013, Amazon premiered the comedies Alpha House and Betas, which are original series available exclusively online via the Prime Instant Video service.
2013: Prime Video Discontinued in Scandinavia
In 2013, the Prime Video service was discontinued in Norway, Denmark, and Sweden.
February 26, 2014: LoveFilm Streaming Service Folded into Instant Video
On February 26, 2014, Amazon announced that the streaming service of its UK subsidiary LoveFilm would be folded into the Instant Video service.
August 2014: Downloading of Purchased Instant Videos Discontinued
As of August 2014, Amazon discontinued the availability of downloading purchased instant videos.
January 2015: Transparent Wins Golden Globe Award
In January 2015, Transparent became the first show produced by Amazon Studios to win a major award and the first series from a streaming video service to win the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy.
July 30, 2015: Hiring of Clarkson, Hammond, and May
On July 30, 2015, Amazon announced that they had hired Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May to produce an untitled motoring show for Amazon Prime Video that would later be named The Grand Tour. Also in July, Amazon announced plans to expand the service to India.
September 2015: Rename to Amazon Video
In September 2015, the word "Instant" was dropped from the title in the US, and it was renamed simply Amazon Video.
2015: Prime Video initial rollout
From 2006 to 2015, Amazon Prime Video was offered on local Amazon websites in countries where the Amazon video-on-demand store was available for purchasing and renting movies and television shows. These countries were part of the initial batch of locations to roll out Prime Video.
2015: Launch of Streaming Partners Program (Amazon Channels)
In 2015, Amazon launched the Streaming Partners Program (now known as Amazon Channels), a platform allowing subscription-based third-party channels and streaming services to be offered to Amazon Prime subscribers through the Amazon Video platform.
April 18, 2016: Prime Video Split from Amazon Prime in the US
On April 18, 2016, Amazon split Prime Video from Amazon Prime in the US, offering it as a standalone service for $8.99 per month.
November 2016: Global Streaming Plans for The Grand Tour
In November 2016, Amazon announced that it planned to stream The Grand Tour globally, which led to speculation over whether the full Prime Video service would begin a wider international rollout to compete with Netflix.
November 2016: Pursuit of Streaming Rights to Sports Leagues
In November 2016, the Wall Street Journal reported that Amazon was pursuing streaming rights to U.S. professional sports leagues to further differentiate the service.
December 14, 2016: Prime Video Global Launch
On December 14, 2016, Prime Video launched worldwide, excluding mainland China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria. The service expanded beyond the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, and Japan and was included with Prime in Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, India, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Turkey, and Spain.
January 2017: Announcement of Anime Strike
In January 2017, Amazon announced Anime Strike, an anime focused Amazon Channels service.
April 2017: Acquisition of NFL Thursday Night Football Rights
In April 2017, Amazon acquired non-exclusive rights to stream portions of the NFL's Thursday Night Football games during the 2017 NFL season to Prime subscribers in the United States as part of a $50 million deal.
May 2017: Expansion of Amazon Channels into Europe
In May 2017, Amazon Channels expanded into Germany and the UK; in the UK, the company reached deals to offer channels from Discovery Communications (including Eurosport), and live/on-demand content from ITV.
December 2017: Release of Apple TV App for Prime Video
In December 2017, Amazon released an Apple TV app for Prime Video, reversing its previous stance.
2017: Purchase of The Lord of the Rings TV Rights
In 2017, Amazon Studios purchased the global television adaptation rights to The Lord of the Rings, which resulted in the creation of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, which streams on Prime Video.
June 2018: Acquisition of UK Premier League Football Rights
In June 2018, it was announced that Amazon had secured the UK rights to broadcast 20 live Premier League football matches from the 2019–20 season on a three-year deal. This will be the first time that the league will be shown on a domestic live streaming service, as opposed to being shown exclusively on television. The deal has since been extended for a further three years until the 2024–25 season.
2018: ATP Finals, Queens Club and Eastbourne Tournaments
Starting in 2018, Amazon will be the third party pay TV provider for the ATP finals and for Queens Club and Eastbourne tournaments. The ATP additionally announced that Amazon in the US would screen the tennis channel, Tennis TV.
April 2019: Chromecast Support Added
In April 2019, Amazon announced that it would add Chromecast support to the Prime Video mobile app and perform a wider release of Prime Video's Android TV app.
2019: Premier League on Live Streaming
From the 2019-20 season, Amazon started broadcasting live Premier League football matches in the UK, marking the first time the league was shown on a domestic live streaming service.
2019: Start of ATP World Tour British Television Rights
In 2019, Amazon acquired the British television rights to the ATP World Tour. The deal will run until 2023 and will exclusively show all masters 1000 events and 12 500 and 250 series tournaments.
March 18, 2020: EU urges streaming services to limit services
On March 18, 2020, Thierry Breton, a European commissioner in charge of digital policy of the European Union, urged streaming services including Amazon Prime Video to limit their services to prevent Europe's broadband networks from crashing due to increased remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic. The EU requested platforms to offer standard definition programs and promote responsible data consumption.
March 20, 2020: Amazon reduces streaming bitrates
On March 20, 2020, Amazon announced that they had begun reducing streaming bitrates to maintain quality streaming while helping to mitigate network congestion caused by increased internet demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This effort involved collaboration with local authorities and Internet Service Providers.
April 2020: Amazon and Apple form a deal
In April 2020, Amazon and Apple reached an agreement allowing Amazon to process in-app payments on the Prime Video app on iOS without using Apple's in-app purchase system for users with existing Prime subscriptions. This was a notable exception to App Store rules.
2020: Expansion to Latin America
In 2020, Prime Video expanded its marketing campaigns and local productions to Latin America with El Presidente (Chile & Colombia), La Jauría (Chile), and Súbete a mi moto.
March 18, 2021: Renewal of Thursday Night Football Deal
On March 18, 2021, Prime Video announced that they have renewed their deal to and will be the exclusive broadcaster of Thursday Night Football between the 2022 and 2033 seasons in the United States. Because Prime Video is a subscription service, the NFL will require Amazon to have the games syndicated to over-the-air television stations in the local market of the teams.
May 17, 2021: Negotiations to Acquire MGM
On May 17, 2021, Amazon entered negotiations to acquire Hollywood studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM).
May 26, 2021: Announcement of MGM Acquisition
On May 26, 2021, Amazon officially announced it would acquire MGM for $8.45 billion, pending regulatory approvals. MGM would continue to operate as a label alongside Amazon Studios and Amazon Prime Video.
July 2021: Multi-Year Deal with Universal Pictures
In July 2021, Amazon and Universal Pictures reached a multi-year deal to bring Universal's films to Prime Video, as well as IMDb TV (now Amazon Freevee). As part of the deal, titles from Universal's library as well as future theatrical releases would become available on Amazon's streaming services following their first pay window and four months after release on Peacock. The deal makes major franchises such as Fast & Furious, Jurassic Park and Bourne eligible to stream on Prime Video. Also, Prime Video had signed a deal with Nigerian studio Anthill Studios as part of its expansion to Nigeria.
February 9, 2022: Deal with Shepperton Studios
On February 9, 2022, Amazon signed a long-term deal with the Shepperton Studios for exclusive use of new production facilities.
March 17, 2022: MGM Acquisition Closed
On March 17, 2022, the deal for Amazon to acquire MGM was closed after receiving all governmental approvals.
May 2022: Removal of In-App Purchases on iOS and Android
In May 2022, Amazon removed the ability for iOS and Android users to make in-app purchases on digital storefronts like Kindle, Audible, and Music apps due to disputes over transaction fees.
July 1, 2022: Deal with UEFA Champions League
On July 1, 2022, Amazon announced a deal with UEFA Champions League football. Prime Video will air 17 games for the 2024–25 season in the United Kingdom.
July 31, 2022: Expansion to Southeast Asia
On July 31, 2022, it was announced that the Prime Video service would expand to Southeast Asia, being offered in Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines. The offerings will include localized content, as well as localized interface and subtitles for non-local content.
August 2022: Payment via Digital Wallets
In August 2022, Amazon Prime Video enabled customers in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand to make payments using digital wallets such as DANA, ShopeePay, OVO, GoPay, GCash, Maya, Rabbit LINE Pay, and TrueMoney.
October 20, 2022: Acquisition of NBA Rights in Brazil
On October 20, 2022, Prime Video acquired the rights to broadcast NBA during the 2022–23 season in Brazil.
November 9, 2022: Launch of Sports Talk Shows
On November 9, 2022, Prime Video launched seven sports talk shows from 8 AM to 8 PM, airing Monday through Friday.
2022: Start of Exclusive Thursday Night Football Broadcast
In 2022, Prime Video became the exclusive broadcaster of Thursday Night Football in the United States as part of a renewed deal that will run until 2033.
2023: Support for Amazon Gift Card balance
In 2023, several countries including France, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Canada, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Luxembourg, and Portugal began allowing Amazon Prime subscription fees to be paid using Amazon Gift Card balance. However, this does not apply to Prime Video Channels or other content add-ons.
2023: End of ATP World Tour British Television Rights deal
In 2023, the deal to show the ATP World Tour, acquired by Amazon in 2019, ended.
January 2024: Introduction of Advertisements
At the end of January 2024, Prime Video began featuring "limited" advertisements. Avoiding them would cost an additional $2.99 per month. With this move, Prime Video joined many other streaming services in featuring ads.
January 2024: Cuts in Original Productions for Southeast Asia and MENA
In January 2024, Amazon decided to cut the original productions for both Southeast Asia and Middle East and North Africa as they shifted on European productions and even licensing. Similar layoffs took place in West and South Africa divisions few months later amidst fierce competition with Showmax.
October 1, 2024: Amazon Joins the Motion Picture Association
On October 1, 2024, Amazon, including Amazon MGM Studios and Prime Video, became a member of the Motion Picture Association (MPA).
December 2024: Changes to Operations in India
In December 2024, Amazon Prime Video announced significant changes to its operations in India to enhance customer satisfaction and comply with local regulations. These updates included some drastic measures into its subscription model in India, and it kept its subscribers at the edge of what this change would bring for their streaming experience.
2024: UEFA Champions League football Games to be Aired
Prime Video will air 17 UEFA Champions League football games for the 2024–25 season in the United Kingdom.
2024: Premier League Broadcasting Rights Extended
The deal to broadcast live Premier League football matches in the UK, secured by Amazon in June 2018, has been extended for a further three years until the 2024–25 season.
2033: End of Exclusive Thursday Night Football Broadcast Deal
In 2033, the renewed deal for Prime Video to be the exclusive broadcaster of Thursday Night Football in the United States, which began in 2022, will conclude.
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