Silicon Valley giants Amazon and Apple are teaming up in the streaming space.
Later this month, Apple TV+ will be available in the U.S. as an additional $9.99 monthly subscription via Prime Video, Amazon announced Thursday.
Apple TV+ joins Prime Video’s collection of more than 100 add-on subscription options in the US. This includes Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max, Paramount Global’s Paramount+, Sony’s Crunchyroll, and Amazon-owned MGM+.
The deal to bring Apple TV+ into Prime Video is part of Amazon’s strategy to consolidate as many entertainment options as possible for its customers on one bill, one app.
“Prime Video is the premier entertainment destination offering a wide range of premium programming,” said Mike Hopkins, senior vice president and head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, in announcing the agreement. stated. “We welcome Apple TV+ and its popular and acclaimed shows, movies, and events to Prime Video as we continue to expand our services and make it easy for customers to customize their streaming experience directly in one app. I’m proud of that.”
Asked at the Bloomberg Screen Time conference in Los Angeles on Thursday night how the Prime Video distribution deal would benefit Apple, Hopkins said Amazon would benefit “hundreds of millions of subscribers around the world.” They said they could offer Apple TV+.
In April, CEO Andy Jassy announced that Prime Video had surpassed 200 million monthly viewers. This number is not indicative of engagement, with Prime Video trailing Netflix. For example, according to Nielsen, Netflix’s share of total TV viewing time in the US as of August 2024 was 7.9%, compared to Prime Video’s share of 3.1%.
In addition to movies, Apple TV+ has a lineup of original shows including “Severance,” “Slow Horses,” “The Morning Show,” “Presumed Innocent,” “Shrinking,” “Hijack,” “Loot” and “Palm Royale.” We offer “Wolfs” starring Brad Pitt and George Clooney, “The Investigators” starring Matt Damon and Casey Affleck, and more. The streaming service also offers games from Major League Soccer and Major League Baseball.
Eddie Cue, Apple’s SVP of Services, said in a statement: We’re thrilled that Prime Video now offers Apple TV+, giving viewers an incredibly wide range of viewing options. ”
Prime Video is one of the key benefits of the Prime membership program, which costs $139 per year (or $14.99 per month) in the US. Alternatively, consumers can sign up for a standalone Prime Video membership for $8.99 per month.
In January, Prime Video began serving ads on TV shows and movies by default, giving customers the option to pay an additional $2.99 per month for an ad-free experience. (Frustrated Prime users are suing Amazon over this change. The company is asking for the lawsuit to be dismissed.) This summer, the company is increasing engagement and making it easy to see what’s included at no additional charge. Prime Video’s user interface has been revamped to make it easier to check the content. streaming service.
Prime Video’s original programming includes “Roadhouse,” “The Lord of the Rings: The Ring of Power,” “Fallout,” “Reacher,” “The Boys” and “The Idea.” Includes series and movies produced by Amazon MGM Studios, such as “The Boys”. “You” and Licensed Content. The service’s live sports include the NFL’s “Thursday Night Football,” WNBA, and NWSL games.
