Online video streaming has never been more popular. Netflix, Amazon Prime Instant Video, Hulu and YouTube all provide TV and movie lovers with massive libraries of content. Looking only at the content of Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant Video, there are more series and films than a single person could ever want. Netflix may be the more popular choice of the two–after all, that’s why people say “Netflix and Chill” and not “Amazon Prime Instant Video and Chill.” However, Amazon’s video streaming service is certainly not one viewers should overlook.
Netflix has earned a great deal of acclaim for its original series such as “House of Cards” and “Orange is the New Black.” These titles are some of the most recognizable to TV audiences and many viewers flock to Netflix en masse with the release of each new season.
Amazon’s original series have not received the same amount of publicity or praise as the Netflix originals; however, some of them are still relatively popular. “Bosch” and “The Man in the High Castle” both have similar fan ratings on IMDb to the successful Netflix originals previously mentioned. The interesting thing about the Amazon shows is that they have somewhere in the ballpark of one eighth the number of ratings as their counterparts on Netflix. To clarify, about 175,000 people have rated “Orange is the New Black” on IMDb, while only 25,000 people have rated “The Man in the High Castle,” but both shows have an average rating of 8.3/10. Due to the much smaller number of reviewers, it is only fair to say that the Amazon shows may be as good as the Netflix shows, but they are just not watched by as many people.
One asset of Amazon’s streaming service is the presence of HBO shows available to subscribers. HBO’s popular shows such as “The Newsroom” and “The Wire” are included with a subscription to Amazon Prime Instant Video. A number of other popular HBO shows are also available. The only downside to the HBO-Amazon relationship is that “Game of Thrones” (arguably television’s most acclaimed show with 12 Emmy wins last year) costs an additional fee to be streamed instantly to your computer or whatever device you may use to watch online television. Nevertheless, the presence of HBO’s shows on Amazon is certainly a benefit that Netflix viewers lack.
Netflix has undoubtedly made itself a part of pop-culture. Netflix certainly boasts a significant amount of high quality content and its library is constantly expanding. Many of the other streaming services offered online may not be the pop-culture juggernaut that Netflix is but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t look to those sites for even more high quality series and movies to enjoy.
While Amazon specifically does not have the same massive following as Netflix, it is certainly worth giving a try for a month or two if you are a binge consumer of online television.
