In February 2014, Amazon implemented the entire Lovefilm offering into its own platform. Although the Lovefilm brand was dissolved, Amazon customers can still rent films or series under the “Lovefilm DVD rental” offer.
Amazon offers two versions of Video on Demand: Amazon Video is a pay-per-view offer where customers can rent or buy films and series for 48 hours. The selection of such transactional VoD offers (TVoD) is usually up-to-date and extensive. This also applies to the Amazon Instant Video product range. New blockbusters are available directly from DVD release for purchase in SD and HD quality. As soon as titles are available for rental, they will also be available here.
Amazon Instant Video Products
The combination of flat rate and pay-per-view offer makes Amazon’s media library enormously extensive.
Amazon Prime Video is the subscription VoD offer (SVoD) of the US online mail order company. In addition to a video and music flat rate, the Prime offer also includes the rapid dispatch of orders from the Amazon range. Compared to the TVoD offer, Prime Instant Video has a lower selection. However, Prime members view series produced in-house exclusively.
Amazon Prime membership is calculated at 69 euros per year or 7.99 euros per month; students pay 34.50 euros per year. On the positive side, customers can test the Prime offer free of charge for 30 days. The provider will be able to flexibly cancel the membership at any time. If, however, he has already taken advantage of services in the current subscription year, this offer will expire and Amazon will not refund the annual fee.
Rent or buy Amazon-Prime Film?
If users don’t want to take advantage of the Prime benefits and only want to take advantage of the streaming service instead, they can also take out a monthly subscription for 7.99 euros – but it doesn’t pay off in terms of price, since the Prime membership costs only 5.75 euros a month and users receive additional benefits here.
Films or series from the Instant Video Shop vary in price. Series episodes or films can be called up from 0.99 euros. Beyond that the possibility exists of buying series episodes, whole series or films. New releases, such as the latest Hollywood blockbusters, cost 4.99 euros in HD quality to rent for 48 hours and 13.99 euros when purchasing a digital copy.
FSK and child safety lock
In order to be able to see films marked FSK 18 on Amazon, users must verify their age: This is done by entering the ID number of their identity card and their account or credit card details on the homepage. There are no costs, the account information is only used for age confirmation. If your own children also have access to the streaming service, it is advisable to set up a parental control so that they do not gain access to content that is not age-appropriate, either intentionally or unintentionally. Amazon provides all the necessary information on its homepage. The security works via a numerical code that each customer can define individually.
Amazon Instant Video Children’s Movies
Once again a wall or a cosy evening at home, but with nothing exciting or even remotely interesting on TV, and no idea what to watch? Amazon Video quickly solves this problem. On the one hand, Amazon Prime Video’s app displays the most viewed and best rated films by other users, and on the other, most videos have detailed user comments that correspond to Amazon’s well-known five-star product rating system. For films, there are also usually trailers available that can give a good impression of the film or series in question.
The availability of the VoD service on as many players as possible is a prerequisite for perfect video enjoyment. The user can use Amazon’s streaming service via the following devices:
For customers, this large offering means that they can use Amazon Prime Instant Video flexibly at any time and from any location on virtually any device.
Structure of the website
Amazon offers a range of search functions so that users can reach their desired destination quickly: You can filter by film/series, genre, or by the name of the film or the actors or directors involved. The area of the Amazon homepage that allows users to search for films and series is very clearly arranged.
The situation is different in the Amazon Prime information section. Potential new customers will quickly find some essential key points for prime membership, but when it comes to detailed questions, visitors to the web presence should allow a little more time to search. This is necessary because the similar names and designations of the various offers in the portfolio can easily lead to confusion and confusion. The sharp distinction between prime content and pay-per-view titles is not always obvious at first glance. A clearer demarcation and corresponding mediation of these different offer portfolios is desirable here.
Amazon Instant Video Film Selection
On the positive side, however, it should be emphasised that every visitor to the website can access the general terms and conditions conveniently via the homepage and that users therefore do not waste any time searching for them at great expense. In addition, the Amazon service also features the provider’s US province. No matter whether it’s about criteria such as customer friendliness, goodwill or a quick response to enquiries: Amazon radiates the first-class American service mentality, which always gives the customer the feeling of being taken seriously in his concern and of being advised accordingly.
The Amazon success story is far from over
The online mail order company Amazon has apparently managed with playful ease to break new ground in business: Amazon has long since ceased to be just a simple mail order business and has also become a video streaming and music streaming platform. The company even owns its own production studios, through which the first German large-scale production with Matthias Schweighöfer was released in 2017.
The company’s influence is constantly growing and it seems as if everything that Amazon touches is turning to gold. Unfortunately, Amazon does not offer offline use for all prime content. The Prime offer can be accessed both with a monthly subscription and with the annual payment method. With the latter, customers receive access to the streaming service as well as additional extras such as the free Amazon premium mailing service. For the company’s customers, the 69 euro annual subscription is therefore definitely worthwhile.