Amazon Video now offers your favorite cable channels
Cordcutters rejoice!聽You can now subscribe to your favorite extended cable channels through Amazon Prime.聽
The 30聽partnerships revealed today are聽comprised of mostly niche-oriented content, from聽international and indie fare to horror and boxing, not to mention a whole slew of documentary options. There's something in here for everyone - though most of the "everyones" will be looking at Amazon's two big fish, Showtime and Starz.
Showtime and Starz are by far the聽most compelling partnerships on offer, promising聽access to current and even simulcast programming with a large built-in following (like Homeland, The Affair, and Outlander), as well as聽newer popular movie releases (like Guardians of the Galaxy, Big Hero 6, and Boyhood). Each costs聽$8.99/month after a 7-day free trial.
It's definitely worth noting that Showtime is also available as a standalone streaming service for $10.99/month, but if you already have a Prime account, then聽subscribing through Amazon is a better deal by $2.
Corralling these streaming services under the Prime umbrella is a rather genius movie for Amazon. Members聽can subscribe and unsubscribe to streaming channels at will, and there's only one credit card profile to manage. Plus, Amazon manages here something that I've longed to see on Roku for quite awhile now: A single cross-platform watchlist. Kudos to that.
And it looks like there's some seriously good stuff to watch, even on the niche channels you've never heard of. Our first draft of this list was crazy long, and paring it down to just six聽was really hard.
听(厂丑辞飞迟颈尘别)
Arguably the biggest draw on Amazon's streaming roster, Homeland puts聽war, foreign diplomacy, depression, and romance inside the聽CIA and given a vigorous shake. The result is incendiary. It's an interesting chemistry experiment, equal parts soap opera and spy flick, and not without its controversies.
听(厂丑辞飞迟颈尘别)
Possibly the best show you've never heard of.聽Mention it to a few friends and inevitably one of them will start gushing about how good it is.聽It's never quite caught fire the way聽Homeland did, and聽airing only on an extended cable add-on (until now) hasn't helped much. But we expect to see more buzz emerge as it's more widely available thanks to Showtime's standalone service and its partnership with Amazon.
听(厂迟补谤锄)
If even great programming on Showtime can be a bit obscure to some, then Starz is probably even moreso. But聽Outlander has聽a lot of devoted followers among those who know about it, earning an impressive聽8.5聽out of聽10 stars on IMDB from a lot more reviewers than you'd have imagined. Based on聽a聽woman from 1945聽who suddenly and mysteriously finds herself living in 1743, the premise is both preposterous and enticing.
聽(Comedy Central Stand-Up)
Amy Schumer is Hollywood's latest favorite funny girl, not to mention an emerging feminist icon, and you can expect her stand-up special, "Mostly Sex Stuff" to be a NSFW riot.
听(颁翱狈迟惫)
All anime paths聽eventually lead to Ghost in the Shell, a masterpiece of Japanese animation and storytelling. We found it available on CONtv, a streaming channel devoted entirely to ComicCon and things that its fans would love. It's a nerdy little paradise.
听(颁颈苍别蹿别蝉迟)
This cat is a housepet by day, and a cat burglar by night, roaming the streets and rooftops of Paris in this stylishly animated Oscar nominated picture. It's a great pick for the kids, and adults who聽yearn for Paris will be delighted by familiar landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame Cathedral.
There's a ton more to explore. All partnerships get a 7-day free trial, so plunder away!
Here's a list of every streaming partnership聽as of 12/8/15, along with聽their monthly subscription fees:
- 聽- $8.99/month
- 聽- $8.99/month
- 聽- $3.99/month
- 聽- $4.99/month
- 聽- $3.99/month
- 聽- $9.95/month
- 聽- $7.99/month
- 聽- $3.99/month
- 聽- $4.99/month
- 聽- $5.99/month
- 聽- $5.99/month
- 聽- $4.99/month
- 聽- $4.99/month
- 聽- $4.99/month
- 聽- $6.99/month
- 聽- $2.99/month
- 聽- $2.99/month
- 聽- $4.99/month
- 聽- $3.99/month
- 聽- $2.99/month
- 聽- $4.99/month
- 聽- $2.99/month
- 聽- $2.99/month
- 聽- $6.99/month
- 聽- $2.99/month
- 聽- $4.99/month
- 聽- $4.99/month
- 聽- $2.99/month
- 聽- $2.99/month
- 聽- $2.99/month
Amazon Prime memberships are $99 annually, and come with a ton of benefits from free 2-day shipping on聽eligible聽items, Amazon's video content including聽award winning original series like Transparent, early access to lightning deals, the Kindle Owners' Lending Library,聽. You can check it all out for free with a聽.
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