Amazon Prime Video Review

8,000 movies, 500+ TV shows, 2 million songs and access to Kindle books for NZ$9 a month

Updated 20 August 2019
Amazon Prime: Our Verdict
  • Amazon Prime Video offers excellent value for money with its huge content library, perks and ease of use. 
  • Pricing is affordable; the first 30 days is free, followed by a US$2.99/month (approx NZ$4.85) trial for six months. 
  • After that, subscriptions cost around NZ$9 a month (US$5.99), and subscribers get access to 8,000 movies, 500+ TV shows and 2 million songs, as well as one book from the Kindle library each month. There are a bunch of perks and features to improve the user experience as well, meaning its more than just TV shows and movies.
  • Subscribers can download content and travel with it offline (perfect for long journeys or where internet won't be reliable), multiple users on one account (so you and your partner/flatmate can have your own log in access and save your own favourites), parental controls, free cloud space and Amazon.com shopping perks.
  • Subscribers can select a range of video quality levels to suit their internet speed and/or storage space; Amazon calls their quality levels Standard Definition (SD), High Definition (HD), Ultra High Definition (UHD or 4K) and HDR (High Dynamic Range). When it comes to sound, 5.1-channel surround sound comes as standard. 
  • If you decide to take a break, you can suspend your subscription for as long as you want. With Netflix, you have to cancel your entire account. 
  • Additional channels are offered, but these cost extra on top of your per-month subscription. Examples include American cable networks such as HBO, Starz, ShowTime, CinePride, HereTV, and more. The extra channels cost between US$4 to US$10 per month.
  • Price Advantage: At half the price of Netflix with twice the number of movies, it's an affordable all-in-one streaming service that won't disappoint.
  • Drawbacks: Amazon Prime Video's original TV series don't have the name recognition of Netflix's catalogue - there are no House of Cards, Black Mirror, Master of None and Orange is the New Black. Instead, there is a focus on movies and network-produced TV shows.
  • For the latest sign-up offers, including discounted subscriptions, visit the Amazon Prime Video website.
Detailed Review
This full review covers the four main benefits of the Amazon subscription, including Video, Music, Kindle and Photo Storage. These are detailed in the following sections: 

Table 1: Streaming Services and Monthly Cost Comparison

Service & Cost
TV Shows
Movies
Monthly Cost
Maximum Concurrent Devices
Netflix
1,267
3,398
NZ$18.49 (Premium)
4 (TV or Movies)
Amazon Prime Video
563
7,911
US$5.99 (~NZ$​$9.00)
2 (TV or Movies)
Lightbox
​156
608
NZ​$15.99 (Premium)
4 (TV) or 1 (Movies)
Source: Data correct as at 23 April 2019 per JustWatch.com

Amazon Prime Video New Zealand

What matters most is the content, i.e. what you can watch, and what the quality is. We explain this in detail below, but for an up-to-date list of what's available right now in New Zealand, visit this site. 

The Content: Quantity and Highlights
Prime Video has around 8,000 movies and 500+ TV shows to watch on demand. This is huge, and more than twice the movies offered by Netflix, and twelve times the library of Lightbox. Recent additions available in New Zealand include:
  • Movies - The Florida Project, You Were Never Really Here, The Handmaiden, The Big Sick, Moonlight, Lady Bird, Arrival and Manchester by the Sea.
  • TV - The Grand Tour, Veep, Cheers, Flight of the Concords, Fleabag, Curb Your Enthusiasm, American Horror Story and Mr Robot. 

The Picture and Sound quality
  • Amazon is committed to producing its own content and buying international content with excellent picture and sound quality. This means quality is guaranteed from the start, and older TV shows are often enhanced digitally.
  • The flat subscription comes with the best quality streaming as standard, whereas other streaming services have restricted HD and similar to premium-level customers. 
  • Unsurprisingly perhaps, many user tests and reviews conducted in the USA rate the Amazon Kindle Fire as offering the best user-experience for Prime Video. You can buy one on Amazon.com for around NZ$100 + delivery. 

​The Limitations:
  • Unlike Netflix, which is a 'what you can see is what you can watch' service, Prime offers a lot of 'upgrades'. So you may see a great movie you want to watch, only to find out it costs an additional NZ$15. This can be frustrating and sometimes feel a little deceptive if you're struggling to find something you want to watch 'for free. 
  • Content changes per country, so if you're on holiday overseas, you may not have access to the TV shows or movies you planned to watch due to licencing restrictions.
You can watch anything, anywhere at anytime
  • Amazon Prime runs on apps for all types of smart devices and desktops. TVs or Blu-ray players, ROKUs or other media players bought in the last few years should also have the Amazon Prime Video app pre-installed.
  • Prime lets you download up to 25 items at once per account (so you could have, for example, a maximum of 13 items on your phone and 12 on your tablet).
  • 'Items' are the same as episodes or movies, you can download 25 movies or 25 episodes of a TV show, or a bit of both. But if you have two profiles linked to one account, you can download up to 50 items.
  • Some content is not allowed to be downloaded due to licencing agreements with the producers an individual item. If you can see the option to 'download', then it's available. Otherwise you will need to stream it live.

Amazon Prime Music New Zealand

  • ​Prime Music doesn't rival Spotify in terms of its library, but it does come with over two million tracks, 1,000+ curated playlists and the ability to upload your own music.
  • Prime Music works on any device, including desktops, and is perfect for someone who doesn't need Spotify or want to pay the NZ$14.99 monthly fee.
  • Albums include works by Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber, Jess Glynne, Clean Bandit, Queen, Sam Smith, Panic! at the Disco and millions more. 
  • Ultimately, Prime Music is NOT Spotify - it's a watered-down version, and its catalogue is 5% of Spotify's 35 million tracks. Video is the main drawcard of Prime, and Music offers excellent add-on value to any subscriber.

Amazon Prime New Zealand Kindle Library

  • Prime subscribers get access to the Kindle Lending Library and the Kindle First program, which are not high-value offerings but boost the Prime offering beyond video. If you're an avid reader, you can save up to NZ$20 to even $30 a month by borrowing Kindle e-books free-of-charge. 
  • Kindle Lending Library: Amazon gives subscribers access to one book per month, and with 650,000+ titles to pick from. You need to return the book to 'borrow' another one, and unused lending allowances (i.e. one book per month) cannot be carried forward.
  • Kindle First: ​Each month, subscribers can download one 'editors' pick' for free - these are books which are available in advance of their official release date. There are usually 6-10 to pick from. 

Amazon Prime New Zealand Photos & Cloud Storage

Amazon Photos comes free with Prime, which is a useful inclusion to free up mobile storage and backup photos and video. The benefits include:
  1. Unlimited full-resolution online photo storage - subscribers can save and share their photos on desktop, mobile, and tablet, and share them with anybody.
  2. Up to 5 GB of video storage.
  3. Amazon Prime links to your devices and backs up video and photos, meaning you can free up space while safeguarding all of your photos in one place. 
  4. Similar to Dropbox, Amazon Prime lets you access your photos and videos anywhere - desktop, mobile, and tablet.
  5. But, if you cancel your subscription, you will drop to the standard free-user storage levels and will need to re-download your images above the limit within 90 days.

Amazon Prime Frequently Asked Questions

How does Amazon Prime Video compare to Netflix and Lightbox?

Netflix arguably has better content that seems more relevant - more original series, more documentaries and notable international productions. The content is fresher and of a higher budget overall. But it costs almost twice as much, and shows like The Grand Tour may make Amazon Prime Video worthwhile outright. 

Lightbox is tiny in comparison to both Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, and unless it's free in a Spark plan, it is hard to justify the $15.99 monthly price as a stand-alone service. But if you already have one of these phone or broadband plans, you may not need another streaming subscription - 600+ movies and 150+ TV shows may be sufficient.

How much does Amazon Prime Video cost?

Amazon Prime Video is charged at US$5.99 per month, which is around NZ$9.00. Billing is monthly. 

What methods of payment does Amazon Prime Video accept?

Amazon accepts both debit and credit Visa, MasterCard and American Express.

Is Amazon Prime Video worth the cost?

This depends on how much you use it - if you subscribe but only watch a movie every week, then probably not. But if you 'binge' watch the TV shows, regularly make take for movies and use the other features such as Kindle books and music, then the monthly fee can be justified. Quite simply, it comes down to how much you will use it. A free or discount trial can help to evaluate both the content and how it works in with your lifestyle. 

How do I share an Amazon Prime Video account with other people?

Navigate to the household setup page and set up another adult and up to four children. The second adult will need to register first for an Amazon account, but there is no cost associated. Children do not need to register to be added. 

How can I cancel Amazon Prime Video?

You can cancel by logging in to your Amazon Prime Video account, and navigating to 'Manage Membership', and selecting ' End membership' (if you are a paid subscriber) or 'Do not continue' (if you are in the 30-day trial period). Once you confirm, you will not be charged or have your subscription renewed.

Amazon Prime New Zealand - 5 Must-Know Facts

Reduce 'endless scrolling' by shortlisting TV shows and movies to your watchlist

Logging in and seeing thousands of entertaining options can be overwhelming, and it's easy to spend relaxation time scrolling through all the options. Decision paralysis and streaming services go hand-in-hand. To avoid this, start saving shows you want to watch in your favourites section and try to bring the list down by watching things, not adding to the list. 
​

Amazon Prime Video sells content on top of the subscription

This usually applies to TV shows - you will see, for example, seasons 1-6 but season 7 will be available for an extra fee. ​It is likely that the content will be made available as part of the subscription within a few months, but if you want it now, you will have to pay. This can be frustrating if you want to 'binge' on an entire series all at once.
​

Download the best video quality you can

New Zealand broadband may not be the world's fastest, but making sure your video downloads at a high-quality setting makes all the difference when you come to watch it. You will need to override standard settings which show per device, and select either 'good', 'better' or 'best' (see how the options appear here). 

The quality level for 'good' can vary and lead to disappointment and frustration after you have already waited for the download. It will use up more storage space but lead to a better experience overall. 
​

Understand settings, accounts and filters

If you like romantic comedies and sitcoms, and someone else in your house likes foreign movies and crime dramas, you can set up a household account with another adult who will have a unique login and can shortlist their personal favourites. You can also add up to four children. 

Adult filters keep everything safe
​Amazon offers a one-click feature in the 'Settings' menu to set up a four-digit PIN to access anything that isn't for kids.

Use 'X'Ray' to enhance your viewing experience

Amazon Prime Video offers X-Ray, activated by clicking on your screen, which displays actor biographies, movie or TV show trivia and other information as you watch the show. You can find out information about the cast, writers, director and location. ​

Do you have an experience with Amazon Prime, or tips you'd like to share?

Contact our research team right now with your comments.