I am huge fan of subscriptions and I have as many family plans as you can imagine, from Spotify to Netflix to Evernote, so when Amazon launched its Prime Video service in Brazil in December 2016 I had to try. I asked my sister, who is the biggest Netflix user in the house, to check the streaming system and give me a feedback on whether it was worth it or not. She eventually never tested Prime Video, but I did.
In the US, Prime Video series were winning several TV awards for their different storylines and approach, such as Mozart in the Jungle, about the New York Symphony Orchestra or Transparent, a family drama about a father that is transgender.
In Brazil, Amazon offered a seven day trial for free and a subscription in the following six months of US$ 2,99, about R$ 10,00. Then, the monthly payment goes up to US$ 5,99, about R$ 20,00. In my experience with the app and website, I tried mostly two shows, Mozart in the Jungle and the Man in High Castle on my smartphone, but I got a good look on the app and site user experience and what are the main differences and struggles so far.
Aesthetics and User Experience
Easily compared to Netflix, Prime Video has a black background and offers a list of the most looked titles in its first page, along with your own list of “Watch Later”. The main different, however is when you click on a show or movie and it immediately gives ou the episode and a Imdb broad list with trivia, actors and other curiosities. Also, when you are watching a show, Amazon gives you a list of which actors (through face recognition) are on the screen and provides you their profile on Imdb. My only critic is that you have to go back to the first page of the show in order to click on the next episode, while Netflix gives you the possibility of simply clicking straight after an episode is finished.
Catalogue
If you are looking for a wide variety of movies, you will sure be disappointed. The streaming just launched in Brazil, therefore the movie catalogue is not as extensive as Netflix is. However, there are some titles that are difficult to find around, such as the Life of David Gale , Public Enemis and State of Play. Also, if you are a big fan of Bollywood movies, they have a complete list of Indian movies to watch.
TV-Shows list you will find Mr. Robot, Seinfeld, The Night Manager, Community Fear the Walking Dead and The Tudors. But their biggest asset is definetly Amazon’s own TV-Shows. If you are a classical music fan (or even not) Mozart in the Jungle gets you hooked from the beggining to end, with an easy storyline and several great characters, plus only 30 minutes episodes, the show is both a delight to the ears and also a fresh breath from all those rich kids story dramas. The Man in High Castle is another great asset, based on Philip K Dick’s novel, tells the story of a world where the Axis won the Second World War and now the US was colognized by the Nazis and Japanese. For history loversm thriller seeker or simply someone looking for a great storytelling, it is an amazing show.
Moreover, Amazon soon to be premiered show is Z, which tells the story of Zelda Fitzgerald, wife of famous write F. Scott Fitzgerald. 1920 fanatics and Lost generations fans will be glued to the screens as soon as the show is launched.