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Alyssa Powell/Business Insider
- Prime Video Channels lets you add extra streaming networks to your Prime Video membership.
- Channels like HBO, Starz, and Showtime range in price from $9 to $15 a month.
- You can browse all the add-on channels available through Prime Video here.
- See also: The best streaming services you can sign up for in 2021
If you have an Amazon Prime subscription and you’re looking for more movies and shows to watch through the Prime Video app, you should consider signing up for one or more Prime Video Channels.
With Prime Video Channels, you can add extra content to your existing Prime Video membership from many popular networks and services, including premium platforms like HBO and Showtime. Live TV channels are even included in some instances.
Below, we’ve broken everything you need to know about Prime Video Channels, including prices, popular services, free options, and more.
What are Amazon Prime Video Channels?
Prime Video Channels are monthly subscriptions that you can add onto your Amazon Prime or Prime Video membership. For an extra monthly fee, you’ll get access to content from premium third-party networks and other streaming entertainment channels without leaving your Prime Video account.
Some subscriptions also offer a “Watch Live” feature, which gives you the option to live-stream programming on supported devices at the same time that it’s being broadcast on TV.
To add Prime Video channels you first need a Prime Video membership. Prime Video alone costs $9 per month. If you want all the perks of an Amazon Prime membership, such as free shipping on tons of items, you can get a full Amazon Prime subscription for $13 per month or $119 a year. All Amazon Prime memberships include access to Prime Video.
Once you sign up for Prime Video, you can start adding extra Prime Video channels to your subscription.
How many channels are there?
You can find all the Prime Video channels here. At a glance, the complete lineup looks to include over 150 channels – from HBO and Starz to Shudder and BritBox.
What are some of the most popular channels available?
Some of the most popular Prime Video Channels include several premium networks and services, like HBO and Showtime. Most channels include free trial periods so you can test them out before paying.
Though you can’t specifically sign up for HBO Max, an HBO membership through Prime Video Channels does give you access to the HBO Max app. You’ll only be able to watch HBO content through Prime Video Channels, but you can enter your Amazon account information through the HBO Max app to watch everything the service provides.
Here’s a rundown of pricing and free trial periods for several popular Prime Video Channel add-ons:
HBO: $15/month after one-week trial.
Starz: $9/month after one-week trial
Showtime: $11/month after 30-day trial
CBS All Access: $6/month after one-week trial
Cinemax: $10/month after one-week trial
How expensive is it to use Prime Video Channels?
It depends on which channels you’re choosing to subscribe to. You won’t be paying for channels you don’t use or want, and you can cancel at any time. Major channels will cost about $6 to $15 per month on top of your existing Prime membership. You can also test out many channel subscriptions with a seven-day trial to see if you’ll really use them before committing.
In terms of comparative pricing, Prime Video Channel prices are the same as what you’d find when subscribing directly to each standalone service. But, Prime Channels offers Prime members the added perk of keeping all your subscriptions housed in one platform.
Are there free channels?
Although most channels on Prime Video have a monthly cost, Prime Video includes the ad-supported IMDb TV channel for access to a number of shows and movies for free. The channel has a variety of content, including throwback movies like “Bring It On” and “The Karate Kid,” and binge-worthy series such as “Lost” and “Mad Men.”
The channel also has original videos, like “The IMDb Show,” so you can discover more about popular movies. Since it’s free, however, IMDb TV includes commercial breaks.
What are the TV shows and movies you can watch?
Each channel represents a host of TV shows and content, but here are a few of the most popular shows and where to find them:
HBO: “Euphoria,” “Succession,” “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” “Chernobyl“
Starz: “Outlander,” “Power,” “Frozen”
Showtime: “City on a Hill,” “Billions,” “The Affair,” “Shameless“
CBS All Access: “Why Women Kill,” “NCIS,” “Blue Bloods,” “Star Trek: Discovery.”
You may find that some TV shows have earlier seasons available to all Prime Video members, and later seasons behind the Prime Video Channel paywall.
Which other cheap cord-cutting options should you consider?
People with a Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime account – or a friend who lets you piggyback off of theirs – will have an easy time transitioning to Prime Video Channels if they’re new to options outside of a traditional cable box.
You may also want to consider Sling TV, a service that lets you stream a set of premium TV channels live over the internet for $35 per month. You can watch on TVs, computers, tablets, or phones. It offers two base tiers, Blue ($35/month) and Orange ($35/month), or Orange + Blue ($50/month). Each tier includes a different selection of channels.
However, having a fully-fledged live TV subscription like Sling may be overwhelming for anyone who mostly relies on streaming. If that’s you, you may save more – and benefit from fewer, more customized options – by only subscribing to one or two Prime Video Channels. The good thing is you can test drive both before committing.
Amazon offers seven-day trials for many Prime Video Channels (and a 30-day trial for Amazon Prime itself). New Sling subscribers get their first month of streaming at a discounted rate – so your first month is $25 for Orange or Blue. That way you can try the service without sinking a ton of cash into it.
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