Amazon Prime Video is now live in India with aggressive pricing, local content catalog

Cyberghost

Federal Agent Area 51
Staff member
*i.amz.mshcdn.com/_wMfqWzNpaCMNhZNtTWPRIHOeJo=/950x534/filters:quality(90)/https%3A%2F%2Fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fcard%2Fimage%2F318011%2Famazon_prime_video_india.jpg​

India, meet the least expensive on-demand video streaming service you've ever seen.

Ahead of its media event scheduled for later today, Amazon Prime Video service has gone live in India. The video streaming service is now listed on India's Google Play Store and Apple App Store, and supports Amazon India credentials for login.

Amazon Prime Video service is part of its Prime subscription service in India. Amazon Prime was launched in India earlier this year and costs Rs 999 ($15) for a year-long subscription. As part of an introductory offer, Indians can avail the yearly Prime subscription at Rs 499 ($7.5).

This has made Prime Video the least expensive video streaming service in India, far cheaper than the offering of Netflix, which charges at least Rs 500 per month for its service. Amazon hasn't announced how long it will offer Prime subscription at the discounted price in India, though the introductory offer is available today.

Amazon was on a spree lately in India to acquire local content. Its partnership with major Indian Bollywood studios and distributors including Vishesh Films, Dharma Productions and T-Series for exclusive rights for a major chunk of their respective titles is visible in the catalog.

Several new Bollywood titles including Kabali, Sultan, and Sabarji are available with Prime Video. Amazon has also scored several exclusive titles such as Dil Dhadkne Do, Shaandaar, Rock On!!, Talaash, Yeh Jawani Hai Diwani that were previously unavailable on any streaming service.

And of course, there's a mammoth of Hollywood content. Classic titles such as The Godfather, War of the World, Saving Private Ryan, as well as new titles such as Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation and Terminator Genisys are available.

Amazon Original Series such as Jeremy Clarkson's new motoring show The Grand Tour, as well as award winning shows Transparent, Bosch, Mozart in the Jungle, and Red Oaks are available. Other popular TV shows such as Seinfeld, Fringe, Person of Interest, Two and a Half Man, Dexter, Mad Men, NCIS, and Californication are available too. More interestingly, many of these shows are offering subtitles in Indian local languages.

Apart from a wider list of titles, Amazon Prime Video is also offering users the ability to download videos and view them offline. Last month Netflix too launched the download to view offline feature but we found out there were only limited titles available for download.

UPDATE: Dec. 14, 2016, 3:03 p.m. IST It's official: Amazon has just confirmed availability of Prime Video in India. The company, in addition, adds that Prime Video will offer streaming of many titles before they are premiered on TV. The company adds it will continue to add exclusive titles to its catalogue. Amazon Prime Video is now also working on web and iOS apps.

Source: Amazon,Mashable
 

lywyre

Cyborg Agent
I just finished the first episode of The Grand Tour. Seems I can download and watch content later (not all). Have already completed downloading 2nd and 3rd episodes of TGT.

And Rs. 500/- per year for Amazon Prime + Prime videos is more than a bargain. No doubt this will be increased in future.
 

ZTR

Cyborg Agent
I just finished the first episode of The Grand Tour. Seems I can download and watch content later (not all). Have already completed downloading 2nd and 3rd episodes of TGT.

And Rs. 500/- per year for Amazon Prime + Prime videos is more than a bargain. No doubt this will be increased in future.
Do note that TGT episode 4 is cut in half on prime as it has various cow related stuff
Amazon's censoring The Grand Tour in India : thegrandtou

Sent from my Redmi Note 3
 

krish_techie

Broken In
I've tried the amazon prime. But the content really disappointed me. Though there are a few amazon originals and some classics like Godfather, Tw0 and half men there is not much to talk about. Most of them are censored as well. Since it's just launched, it might take some time to get good content. But 499 per year is still worth the money if you are are a regular shopper on amazon. But just for the content on prime video i would suggest to wait for a couple of months and then decide.

Since i shop regularly on amazon and my home is eligible for prime delivery on most products i will definitely opt in. Prime video is just an added bonus for me.
 

Vyom

The Power of x480
Staff member
Admin
I am planning to get the subscription. Rs 499 for a year is highly good price. Comes to around Rs 41 a month.

But I have started the 30 day trial first. I hope the Rs 499 offer remains till one month, until free subscription ends. I always thought how a steam like model can be implemented for video industry, and how I would support it if the price is justified. Amazon's Prime video seems like a good direction to go into.

Yes, some content is censored, but I can easily check the length of the video on imdb, before deciding to add it to my watchlist. So far content wise its a bit dissapointing, still I shortlisted various good things on my watchlist. I certainly hope new content will be added, and also browsing of content would be a bit better in future.

I tried to analyze the content provided under Amazon's Prime Video. Here's some of my opinion. (Following write up is based on the fact that I am only aware of popular American/English shows like Arrow, Flash, Big Bang Theory, Sherlock, Quantico, Mr Robot and so on. So needless to say I was looking for these shows under Amazon's Prime service so that I can stop getting them from *unmentionable* sources. Also keep in mind the genre I like to watch, which will heavily influence my opinion on the content provided by Amazon: Sci Fi, Action, Thriller, Cyberpunk, Fantasy. I dislike Horror and (only) Drama shows in general.

Amazon Original Series:
This section contains few shows that I never heard. Some shows which I added under watchlist are following:

*i.imgur.com/Ay5O4sH.jpg


The Man in the High Castle (Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller):
The review by [MENTION=6966]sam9s[/MENTION] here, have made me plunge for this one. Will watch this soon.

I didn't anymore from amazon original list for my taste. But worthy mentions in Amazon Original series include, The Grand Tour, Hand of God and Bosch.

TV Shows:
There are many TV shows on Amazon, thought I couldn't find popular shows like Flash, Arrow or Legends of Tomorrow. But I found these good ones:

Extant (Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller): a mystery thriller about a female astronaut trying to reconnect with her family when she returns after a year in outer space. Her experiences lead to events that ultimately will change the course of human history.

The World's War (Documentary, History): British historian David Olusoga, along with other historians, narrates the story of millions of Indian, African and Asian troops who fought and died alongside French and British troops to help win the war against Germany, Austro-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire.

Startup (Crime, Thriller): Nick Capelli emerges from prison into a world where his once strong mafia family has eroded, leaving him with no direction, but an uncontrollable need to try to recreate his past criminal life. In the modern world where the mafia doesn't command respect like it used to, this series takes a look at what it would take for a modern crime organization to rise today. [I JUST ADDED THIS FOR Martin Freeman :D]

V (Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller) : Elizabeth Mitchell (Lost) stars in this reimagining of the hit miniseries from Scott Peters, creator of The 4400. "Visitors" appear in every major city in the world, promoting a message of peace ... but could they be a threat to our existence?

Britain's Greatest Generation (Documentary): Documentary series on the generation who fought or lived through World War II.

Fringe (Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi): An FBI agent is forced to work with an institutionalized scientist and his son in order to rationalize a brewing storm of unexplained phenomena.

Best of AIB (Comedy, World Cinema: Indian): Do they need a description?

The Storytellers (Drama: Plays/Performance, World Cinema: Indian): Remember the good old days of sitting around a campfire sharing stories? The Storytellers is a modern day take on that. At a time when interactions primarily take place across screens, The Storytellers encourages people to look up and connect with one another by sharing their personal life experiences face to face, without inhibitions and with honesty.

Fullmetal Alchemist (Anime): On one fateful night, Edward loses an arm and a leg, and Alphonse losing his entire body in an alchemy experiment gone awry. From this point, Edward's only concern is finding a way to return his brother to his body. He soon finds himself in the service of the government as a State Alchemist. It is here the amazing story of the youngest State Alchemist in history begins.

Chi's Sweet Adventure (Anime, Subbed): Cause, Cats!. :p

People of Earth (Comedy): In this half-hour comedy about a support group for alien abductees, a skeptical journalist investigates their supposed alien encounters. The more he digs into their oddball claims, however, the more he realizes signs that point to his own alien abduction. The onetime outsider now finds himself part of this eclectic group of misfits, while struggling with the idea of life beyond our world.

Mr. Robot (Crime, Drama, Thriller): Follows Elliot, a young programmer working as a cyber-security engineer by day, and a vigilante hacker by night.
I guess Cyberpunk isn't a genre anymore, but I was pleasantly surprised to have this show on Amazon prime. Although I am sure there will be censorship in this.

Dexter (Crime, Drama, Mystery): When blood spatter analyst Dexter Morgan is not out solving murders, he spends his time as a serial killer who eliminates those who do bad things.

Constantine (Drama, Fantasy, Horror): Seasoned demon hunter and master of the occult John Constantine is armed with a ferocious knowledge of the dark arts and a wicked wit. With the balance of good and evil on the line, Constantine uses his skills to find the supernatural terrors that threaten our world and send them back where they belong.

Wolverine and the X-Men (Animation, Action, Adventure ): The story picks up one year after the attack on Xavier Institute that caused the disbanding of X-Men and the mysterious disappearance of Professor X and Jean Grey. Wolverine must reunite his team to find out what happened that fateful night. Their position as mutants doesn't make things any easier as the MRD (Mutant Response Division) is hunting down and exterminating them.

The Girlfriend Experience (Drama : Christine Reade is a second year law student and a new intern at a prestigious law firm. Her focus quickly shifts when a classmate introduces her to the world of transactional relationships.
Ah, you already know, why I added this show. :p

Elementary (Crime, Drama, Mystery): A modern take on the cases of Sherlock Holmes, with the detective now living in New York City.

Movies:
I am surprised by the fact that I could shortlist only few movies from the below list, but it goes on to show that movies catalogue is really small. I have added some worthy mentions below my watchlist.

*i.imgur.com/kXIbIox.jpg

Mr. X in Bombay (1964): Shobha's dad who is a scientist gets into a difficult situation after an experiment he was conducting goes wrong and kills his employee Manohar.
Indian Sci Fi movie from way back. I can't miss to watch this.

A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001): In a future world, humans share aspects of their lives with companion robots called Mechas. But when an advanced prototype robot child named David is programmed to show unconditional love, his human family isn't prepared for the consequences.
One of my all time favorite from Spielberg. Will watch this again and again until my last breath.

Saving Private Ryan (Action, Drama, War): Following the Normandy Landings, a group of U.S. soldiers go behind enemy lines to retrieve a paratrooper whose brothers have been killed in action.

SpongeBob SquarePants: Sponge Out Of Water (Comedy, Animated): On a mission to save his world, SpongeBob SquarePants is headed to ours for the first time ever! When pirate Burger Beard steals the Krabby Patties recipe, SpongeBob and friends must unleash their inner superheroes in order to defeat a super-villian.

Sarbjit (Biography, Drama, History): Biopic of Sarabjit Singh, a farmer residing at Bhikiwind, Punjab, near the Indo-Pak border, crossed the border after having a couple of drinks. However, he was mistaken to be an Indian spy and was sentenced to capital punishment.

Worthy mentions for movies (which I have already watched): War of the Worlds (2005), The Godfather, Lemony Snicket's Series Of Unfortunate Events, Forrest Gump, Cast Away, The Dictator, Into The Wild, Watchmen, Finding Neverland, Stardust, Paycheck, World War Z, Minority Report, Star Trek series.

Bonus:
The worst movie I could find on Prime: Journey to the Center of the Earth. Just watch the rating and review on imdb. :p *www.imdb.com/title/tt0097630/. I do intend to TRY to watch this.
 

whitestar_999

Super Moderator
Staff member
[MENTION=77264]Vyom[/MENTION], May try in future but not now.As for the series you mentioned I suggest skipping V as it was axed leaving s02 end at a cliffhanger & it was not that good either especially compared to the original 1980s miniseries.Also there are two Full Metal Alchemist series:FMA(2003) which does not follow manga story line after first few episodes & FMA:Brotherhood(2009) which follows manga story faithfully & is the recommended one to watch.
 

TheSloth

The Slowest One
Yes, FMA2003 doesn't follow manga and few characters are also different. Apart from that I have read FMA2003 is a bit dark, whereas FMA:Brotherhood is actually funny. I have seen FMA:Bro and it is so good and funny and sad at the time.
 

whitestar_999

Super Moderator
Staff member
If you think FMA:Brotherhood is dark then wait till you see FMA(2003),it is much darker with almost zero funny moments after first few episodes.That is also why it is recommended to watch FMA:Brotherhood version & make sure it is this version before watching it on a streaming site like Amazon prime video.
 

TheSloth

The Slowest One
If you think FMA:Brotherhood is dark then wait till you see FMA(2003),it is much darker with almost zero funny moments after first few episodes.That is also why it is recommended to watch FMA:Brotherhood version & make sure it is this version before watching it on a streaming site like Amazon prime video.

yeah, I also said same thing. Brotherhood is funny and FMA2003 is a dark anime series. I said "a bit" cause I have read reviews only and have not watched the series myself. But Brotherhood is so good <3 .

I would say the Amazon Prime's library isn't that impressive. As I find less time to watch series, I watch series in Descending order starting from highest ratings. Pricing is great, just 500, but I am not tempted yet.
 

whitestar_999

Super Moderator
Staff member
I have watched both,FMA & FMA:Brotherhood,hence the earlier post.For me it is not a question of library as I don't have a regular net connection now.I would subscribe to it even if I continue downloading episodes from "ahem" sources & never actually use the service.I think of it as "supporting the industry" while still not compromising on censorship & show timings.I say that if you have the money & a regular net connection then subscribe to it even if you keep using "ahem" sources for tv shows.
 

audiophilic

Journeyman
I'm using Amazon Prime. The good side is that their collection is much bigger than Netflix, but on the downside, I have already watched 80% of the movies on their collection. Looking forward for some more action and sci-fi from them.
 

TigerKing

Wise Old Owl
Amazon prime membership 1 year - @₹499
Is there any other options?? Like 2 year, 3-5-10 year subscription?..
I want to use Amazon prime for 3 years.
 

jackal_79

Get Digit ized
Amazon prime membership 1 year - @₹499
Is there any other options?? Like 2 year, 3-5-10 year subscription?..
I want to use Amazon prime for 3 years.
If you have not checked out content offered in prime, I suggest you check it out before going for a long run. I am prime member but only got time recently to check out the content and not satisfied. Especially on tv content. Most of the tv series offered low rating series most which are not even known around here.

Sent from my LG-D802T using Tapatalk
 

TigerKing

Wise Old Owl
If you have not checked out content offered in prime, I suggest you check it out before going for a long run. I am prime member but only got time recently to check out the content and not satisfied. Especially on tv content. Most of the tv series offered low rating series most which are not even known around here.

Sent from my LG-D802T using Tapatalk
But I found many regional films there. And released fast on prime. Though Jio Cinema and d2h (Tata sky etc) are offering premier movies weekly basis. But Amazon prime is offering other services too.
Is it not worth for long run??
 

jackal_79

Get Digit ized
But I found many regional films there. And released fast on prime. Though Jio Cinema and d2h (Tata sky etc) are offering premier movies weekly basis. But Amazon prime is offering other services too.
Is it not worth for long run??
With the current status, I am not sure. I do agree that films are there but that you can get from hotstar also, some of them even free.

Sent from my LG-D802T using Tapatalk
 

Vyom

The Power of x480
Staff member
Admin
I am subscribed to Prime. Content is not that great. But they keeping adding new movies to make up for it.
 

dissel

Cyborg Agent
Yes...The Regional Collection of Flims is very Good at Prime Video.

Never able to watch them unless They are there - Several Native Language Movies of recent days (2013 -16) watch Back To Back at Weekend.

Nice Experince.
 
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