Amazon Prime Video is going global, with Amazon making its streaming video service available in 200 countries around the world. This makes Prime Video serious competition to Netflix, with the two set to competing for eyeballs, content, and, most importantly, your money.

Amazon is launching Prime Video in 200 countries around the world, including Australia, Canada, France, India, Italy, and Spain. Amazon Originals such as The Man in the High Castle and Transparent will be available in every territory, sitting alongside a mix of Hollywood movies and local content.

Subscribing to Amazon Prime Video

In the countries where Amazon Prime is already a thing, Prime Video will be added to existing subscriptions at no extra cost. However, in most countries, where Amazon Prime isn't offered, Prime Video will be a standalone offering available on a month-to-month basis.

Amazon is offering a free 7-day trial, followed by six months at an introductory price of $2.99 (or €2.99) per month. Once this introductory offer comes to an end in six months time, Amazon Prime Video will be priced at $5.99 (or €5.99) per month. Which may just be cheap enough to stop people pirating The Grand Tour.

Amazon Prime Video subscribers will be able to watch through the Amazon Prime Video app on Android or iOS, on selected smart TVs, and online at PrimeVideo.com. content will be available to watch in English, with many titles subtitled or dubbed into French, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish.

Offering Serious Competition to Netflix

This is a huge move by Amazon, because it transforms Prime Video from just another bonus for Amazon Prime subscribers into its own standalone service. This makes a lot of sense for Amazon, because it can now make money in countries where a fully-fledged Amazon Prime offering was never going to work.

Tim Leslie, Vice President, International, Prime Video, said:

"We are excited to announce that starting today, fans around the world have access to Prime Video. The Grand Tour and other critically acclaimed Amazon Original Series like Transparent, Mozart in the Jungle, and The Man in the High Castle, along with hundreds of popular Hollywood movies and TV shows, are now available at the introductory price of only 2.99 a month. And what’s really exciting is that we are just getting started."

This comes just 12 months after Netflix expanded into 130 new countries, making it available almost everywhere. With this move into new territories, Amazon Prime Video could now launch a major offensive on Netflix, investing heavily in order to expand its catalog of content.

Do you already use Amazon Prime Video? If so, what do you make of this move? Do you live in one of the countries Amazon Prime is launching? If so, are you likely to sign up to try it? What shows are you hoping to watch? Please let us know in the comments below!