In the UK, Amazon Prime Video is bundled with the wider Amazon Prime service, which offers unlimited next-day delivery on Amazon goods for £7.99 a month.
Amazon has signed deals with the author Neil Gaiman and the adventurer Bear Grylls as part of a set of moves that will strengthen its armoury for battle with Netflix in the fast-growing online streaming video industry.
Gaiman has already worked with Amazon on the forthcoming adaptation of Good Omens, the novel he co-wrote with the late Terry Pratchett.
The company is increasingly signing up star writers such as Gaiman on first-look deals, which give it first refusal on potential TV ideas, as it ramps up spending on original content in an effort to lock customers in to its Amazon Prime service.