Amazon Prime Video officially launches for Australia

Amazon Prime Video has now officially launched in Australia with the company making mobile apps for Apple and Android devices available to Australian consumers and a localised version of the website at PrimeVideo.com.

Trevor Long revealed the news on his EFTM website, the launch follows the move by Amazon last month to lift the Australian geo-block on its video service.

Pricing for the streaming service is still being charged in US Dollars. The company is currently providing an introductory offer of US$2.99 per month for the first 6 month. Customers will then be charged US$5.99 per month.

By charging its customers in US Dollars and locating its server equipment offshore, Amazon is avoiding paying taxes including GST in Australia.

Android customers can subscribe in the app, however iOS customers will need to visit the website at PrimeVideo.com, as the company has failed to sign a revenue sharing agreement with Apple.

Amazon Prime is the exclusive home for the new motoring series The Grand Tour from Jeremy Clarkson Richard Hammond and James May. The Grand Tour, which launched last month has been highly anticipated by Australian fans and has achieved record levels of illegal piracy.

The Prime Video library in Australia is considerably limited compared with the US version however it does contain some original series including The Man In The High Castle, Red Oaks, and Goliath.

The apps can be downloaded now on iOS and Android.

UPDATE – Amazon have now issued this media release:

Amazon Prime Video Now Available in More Than 200 Countries and Territories Around the World

Customers worldwide can sign up for a Prime Video membership and enjoy popular new shows like The Grand Tour from Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, and award-winning Amazon Original Series including Golden Globe-winner Mozart in the Jungle, Golden Globe, Emmy and BAFTA-winner Transparent, Emmy-winner The Man in the High Castle, and multi Emmy Award-winner Tumble Leaf, along with popular Hollywood movies and TV shows

Prime Video is automatically available at no additional cost to Amazon Prime members in Belgium, Canada, France, India, Italy and Spain and to customers in new Prime Video territories at an introductory price of $2.99 (or €2.99) per month for the first six months

Prime Video members can watch anytime, anywhere through the Amazon Prime Video app on Android and iOS phones and tablets, Fire Tablets, popular LG and Samsung Smart TVs or online at PrimeVideo.com—and can also download all titles to mobile devices for offline viewing

Members can watch Amazon Original Series in English, with French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish subtitled and dubbed versions also available

Amazon today announced that Amazon Prime Video is now available to customers in more than 200 countries and territories around the globe. Customers around the world can now enjoy popular new original series like The Grand Tour from Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May (currently the top-rated TV show on IMDb with an overall rating of 9.4 and over 20,000 votes) and award-winning Amazon Original Series like The Man in the High Castle, Transparent, Mozart in the Jungle, Tumble Leaf and more. Customers can sign up for a Prime Video membership at PrimeVideo.com and watch on Android and iOS phones and tablets, Fire Tablets and popular LG and Samsung smart TVs. Amazon Prime members in Belgium, Canada, France, India, Italy and Spain can start watching today at no additional cost to their Prime membership. Customers in the other new Prime Video territories can sign up at an introductory price of $2.99 (or €2.99) per month for the first six months, starting with a free 7-day trial at PrimeVideo.com.

“We are excited to announce that starting today, fans around the world have access to Prime Video,” said Tim Leslie, Vice President, International, Prime Video. “The Grand Tour and other critically acclaimed Amazon Original Series like Transparent, Mozart in the Jungle, and The Man in the High Castle, along with hundreds of popular Hollywood movies and TV shows, are now available at the introductory price of only 2.99 a month. And what’s really exciting is that we are just getting started.”

What to Watch
Amazon Prime Video members around the world can now enjoy The Grand Tour, the biggest show premiere ever on Prime Video, multi Golden Globe, Emmy, and BAFTA Award-winning Transparent, the multi Golden Globe Award-winning series Mozart in the Jungle and one of the most-streamed Amazon Original Series ever by Amazon Prime members globally, The Man in the High Castle. Most Amazon Original Kids Series are also available, including the animated art-adventure Creative Galaxy, the live-action coming-of-age tale of friendship, Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street, and the multi Emmy Award-winning animated series, Tumble Leaf and more. Additional Amazon Original Series like Woody Allen’s Crisis in Six Scenes, David E. Kelley’s Goliath featuring Billy Bob Thornton, the docuseries American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story, as well as Sneaky Pete produced by Bryan Cranston and Graham Yost, and starring Giovanni Ribisi, will be added to the service next year. Prime Video members can also watch hundreds of popular movies and TV shows from top networks and Hollywood studios.

How to Watch
Members can watch Amazon Prime Video in English, with French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish subtitled and dubbed versions also available for many titles. Members can watch anytime, anywhere through the Amazon Prime Video app on Android and iOS phones and tablets, Fire Tablets, popular LG and Samsung Smart TVs or online at PrimeVideo.com. Members can also download all movies and TV shows for offline viewing—that means watching on a plane, train, anywhere at no additional cost.

Prime Video members can also control how much data they use when streaming and downloading video by choosing between Good, Better and Best visual quality settings, all of which utilise Amazon Prime Video’s state of the art video compression technology to use less data without reducing visual quality. Amazon Prime Video’s automated and machine learning systems will also select the best streaming configurations for a given customer based on their device, location and Internet Service Provider, providing better visual quality and fewer interruptions even when internet connection speeds are slow or highly variable.

Price
Amazon Prime Video is now available at no additional cost to Amazon Prime in Belgium, Canada, France, India, Italy and Spain and to customers in new Prime Video territories for $2.99 USD (or €2.99) per month for the first six months—a 50 percent discount off the full price of $5.99 (or €5.99) per month. Visit PrimeVideo.com to start a free 7-day trial.

Amazon Prime Video is now available in the following countries and territories. For more information visit PrimeVideo.com.