Amazon’s Prime Video was launched in Nigeria around August 2022 and had since gained its fair share of the movie streaming market in the country where Netflix reigns supreme.
This write up takes a look at the platform compared to Netflix and helps Nigerians make an informed decision concerning which to settle for.
Flagship show
The platform launched its flagship series titled ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’. Before the launch, the company engaged in huge campaign to create awareness. On the day the show streamed its first episode, the front page of popular newspapers, The PUNCH, was covered by a photo of the show to the point that news headlines and riders were almost absent on the cover. The city of Lagos and other top cities in Nigeria were littered with flyers, billboards and banners advertising the show. The hype built around the show had many expecting a Game of Thrones type of series. Yours truly immediately opened an account with Prime Video despite my Netflix subscription still active. Sadly, the first episode was no different from a sleeping pill. I dosed off through half of the show because it lacked direction. However, the picture quality was superb as it enabled my 4k TV to display its potential. I believe Rings of Power lured many Netflix users to Prime Video. Sadly for Prime Video, Kunle Afolayan’s ‘Anikulapo’ must have pulled many back to Netflix because the movie became the talk of the town and on social media, with nothing heard about Rings of Power except criticism from YouTubers.
Cost of subscription
Prime Video us currently cheap. With N2,300, you can have access to 4k videos per month. However, this shouldn’t be expected to last long as it can only be seen as a marketing strategy. Sadly, while the cost appears affordable and something to give Netflix a run for their money, Netflix also runs other packages apart from its Netflix Premium Plan of ₦4,400 which provides 4k quality movies. Netflix understands that most Nigerians don’t have unlimited data, so the platform provides Mobile Plan at ₦1,200. That alone challenges Prime Video’s cheap subscription price. Netflix also runs Basic Plan: ₦2,900 and Netflix Standard Plan: ₦3,600.
Sharing password
With Netflix premium plan, you can share your password with friends so that they can watch on their Smart TVs, phones and laptops. That way, close friends can contribute to the N4,400 subscription and share the password among themselves. With Prime Video, I doubt if such is available. I just tried sharing my password with my sister-in-law but it didn’t work. If it isn’t the same with you, kindly notify me in the comment section below.
Streaming quality
With Netflix, you have your shows buffering for seconds before they begin. When you rewind or fast forward, the picture quality becomes blurry for a while, say 10 seconds, before it becomes normal again. However, my experience with Prime Video has been superb. As soon as you hit the play button, the picture quality is as the movie is, with no blurry interruptions. I use the same unlimited data for both, so I can’t really blame my internet providers for Netflix’s lagging.
User interface
Both have good user interface but Netflix stands out. The thumbnail of movies are of quality and they change, thereby giving you the impression that a movie you’ve seen on the platform is fresh as it now comes with a new thumbnail. However, for Prime Video, the thumbnail is stagnant. Correct me if I’m wrong. Netflix also gives you a preview of the movie in each thumbnail but Prime Video doesn’t.
Nollywood movies
Both platforms have good Nigerian movies but I’ll say Netflix takes the lead because the platform has a deal with Nollywood movie industry. The platform was also first to enter the market which was why it controlled a large share. However, for Prime Video, the Nigerian movies it has cannot be found on Netflix. This was why my sister-in-law wanted my Prime Video password because a friend had told her of a new movie which she could only find on the platform.
Automatic renewal of subscription
Both platforms engage in automatic renewal of subscription whereby money is deducted from your bank account to renew your sub. The only way to prevent this is by deactivating your account.
