Amazon is finally making its Prime Video service available in more than 200 countries, stepping up its efforts against Netflix for streaming dominance. As always the service is still free for Prime subscribers in markets where Amazon currently operates its retail business, while everywhere else people will be able to subscribe to a standalone Prime Video package for $5.99 per month.
That's $2 less than the minimum Netflix subscription of $7.99 that lets you stream movies and TV shows from Netflix on one device at a time in standard definition (SD). Amazon is also offering introductory price of $2.99 a month for the first six months to encourage new signups.
Up until now, Amazon Prime Video has been available as a standalone package in the U.S. for $8.99 a month, so it's unclear if the new pricing applies there as well. It's also unclear exactly what content will be available in which countries, but Amazon says that shows available around the world will include originals such as Mozart in the Jungle, Transparent, The Man in the High Castle, and The Grand Tour.
Amazon recently secured a whopping 11 Golden Globe nominations for its original content, including two nominations for best comedy series and five nominations for Manchester by the Sea. Meanwhile, it's reboot of the BBC's Top Gear has attracted more illegal downloads than even Game of Thrones.
Netflix still has the lead when it comes to available content and number of subscribers, but more competition is ultimately good for the viewing public. The full press release is available here, complete with the list of countries where Prime Video is now available.