Amazon Prime Video: Company launches monthly subscriptions and splits off streaming film and TV services

The company previously made people pay for the full year or not have access to Prime

A customer in East London receiving their Prime delivery, which comes in a paper bag rather than Amazon's classic cardboard box (Amazon)

Amazon has announced sweeping new changes to its Prime service, in an attempt to get more people to subscribe.

The company will now let people pay for only its streaming services, and not the full membership that includes premium postage and other features. It has also added the option to pay monthly for the service, ending the requirement that people commit to an annual membership if they want to use Prime.

In the US, Prime members can now pay $10.99 per month for their subscription, rather than $100 per year. That will cost nearly $33 per year more, but allows people to avoid paying for the service in bulk as well as being able to cancel their membership at any time.

The company will also allow people to pay just $8.99 for access to Amazon’s streaming TV and film service. Previously, users had to pay the full price – and get access to next day delivery and other features – even if they just wanted to use Amazon’s Netflix rival.

Amazon started its streaming service much later than Netflix and other competitors, but has gradually grown its library through acquisitions and original programming and now has a similar library to its older rival.

In the UK, the monthly video service costs £5.99 and has long been part of the Amazon Prime offer. That’s the same cost as a standard Netflix subscription, which is the same in the US.

But the company still doesn’t offer a way of paying for the full Amazon Prime services on a monthly rather than yearly basis.