Amazon is now offering a Netflix-like option by opening access to its vast Prime Video library for $8.99 a month.
The stand-alone service excludes other Prime membership features like two-day shipping and unlimited music streaming at no extra cost.
The move comes as Netflix prepares to raise its rates for grandfathered customers from $7.99 to $9.99 a month for its standard two-stream HD service.
Amazon’s video service provides streaming HD and, when available, HDR and 4K content at no extra charge; access to tens of thousands of movies, TV shows and original Amazon content; and can be accessed by multiple users with a member password.
While Amazon’s monthly fee will undercut Netflix by a buck, at $107.88 a year it still costs more than a full Prime membership package for $99 up front.
For those who can’t come up with the scratch or don’t want to commit for a full year, Amazon is now also offering complete Prime membership for $10.99 a month, which works out to $131.88 annually — a 33 percent premium over that 99 bucks (see chart, below).
Amazon first made the pay-as-you-go Prime option available last month to Sprint wireless subscribers.
Hat tip to Variety
