Amazon Prime Video launches globally

The SVOD service is now available in Canada and more than 200 countries around the world.

The speculation can finally end: Amazon Prime Video has launched in Canada.

Amazon announced Wednesday that the streaming video service has rolled out globally, with the SVOD now available in more than 200 countries around the world. The streamer will now attempt to compete with another global giant, Netflix, which announced its expansion into a more than 190 countries at the beginning of the year.

Amazon Prime Video offers a library of content, including original programming such as Mozart in the Jungle and Transparent. Amazon Originals were previously available on Rogers and Shaw’s joint venture, shomi, which shuttered at the end of November. There is currently no Canadian programming available on the streamer, though a representative for Amazon told Playback Daily that Amazon is “always looking for exciting and fresh content from all over the globe, including Canada,” and will be adding new content in early 2017.

Also available on the newly launched service is The Grand Tour – what Amazon calls its biggest show premiere ever – with former Top Gear hosts Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond.

In November, Clarkson announced on Twitter that his Amazon Prime Video series would be available to watch in Canada, sparking excited talk of the service’s imminent launch. Bell Media president Mary Ann Turcke even announced at the CRTC licence renewal hearing in November that the service would enter the Canadian market “in two days.”

Amazon Prime Video is now available at no additional cost to existing Amazon Prime subscribers in Canada. New customers outside of Quebec can sign up for a 30-day free trial, after which a subscription will cost $79 per year. Quebec residents will receive a 13-month membership for $79. Customers can download the SVOD app for Android and iOS phones and tablets, select smart TVs and other platforms. And like Netflix recently introduced, titles are available to download offline.