Amazon has upped the ante in its battle with Netflix by offering monthly subscriptions for its Instant Video service.
The provider previously charged £79 as a one-off annual payment for Prime, which includes the Instant Video service, music streaming, eBooks and next-day delivery.
Amazon has now moved to match Netflix by offering a monthly subscription to Instant Video as a standalone service.
Priced a £6.99 per month – identical to Netflix – Amazon will continue to offer video streaming of its exclusive shows such as Transparent and The Man in the High Castle.
Since its launch in 2011, Instant Video has only been available via annual payments, leaving Netflix as the popular choice for short-term users. By mirroring its rival’s payment structure, Amazon will now command serious consideration for short, medium and long-term subscribers.
US users will now be able to pay $8.99 a month for Amazon’s video, and get Prime as a monthly option for $10.99.
In the UK, Netflix currently dominates the market, picking up 5 million subscribers in 2015, compared with 1.6 million for Amazon.
