About

Amazon Prime Video history, coverage, features

Amazon Prime Video, commonly known as "Prime Video," is an American subscription-based streaming service owned by the multinational corporation Amazon. It was launched in September 2006 as Amazon Unbox and is available either as a standalone service or as part of Amazon's Prime subscription.

Prime Video is accessible in the USA and worldwide. Availability extends to the likes of Canada, Brazil, Japan, the UK, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Germany, and various other locations in Europe.

Following its launch in September 2006, the streaming service would rebrand from Amazon Unbox to Amazon Video on Demand two years later. February 2011 brought about another name change, when it was renamed Amazon Instant Video, before being simplified to Amazon Video in September 2015.

Prime Video’s first foray into the sports broadcasting arena was a $50 million deal for non-exclusive rights to a share of the NFL's Thursday Night Football games during the 2017 season. Four years later, it became the exclusive broadcaster for Thursday Night Football in the United States for the 2022 through 2033 seasons. In 2023, Prime Video also acquired rights to Black Friday Football, one NFL Wild Card round in 2021, and one preseason game.

In 2021, Prime Video secured the rights to certain New York Yankees games, although these MLB matches were accessible only in their home market. The platform also obtained rights for select National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and National Hockey League (NHL) games in 2024, as well as Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) games in 2022. Moreover, it broadcast select Seattle Sounders matches in the MLS from 2020 to 2022.

Prime Video can acquire broadcast rights to specific sporting events in one market or across multiple countries. For example, in 2025, the streaming service acquired pay-per-view rights to all “All Elite Wrestling” tentpole events in both the USA and Canada. The platform also secured the rights to broadcast 12 live ONE Championship martial arts events annually in those two North American countries.

Prime Video is available on most internet-connected devices. Once subscribed, viewers can stream content through a web browser or the Prime Video app, which can be downloaded on smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, streaming devices, gaming consoles, and more.