Amazon is taking on Netflix and Hulu, offering a stand-alone streaming service for the first time.
Starting this week, the e-commerce company says customers can now pay $8.99 a month just to watch Amazon's Prime video streaming service. Previously, the only way to get access to Amazon's videos was to pay $99 a year for Prime membership, which includes free two-day shipping on items sold by the site. The video-only service does not come with free shipping.
Here's how the Amazon, Netflix and Hulu streaming services compare:
Amazon Prime Video
- Price: $8.99 a month for stand-alone streaming.
- Offerings: Movies and past seasons of TV shows, such as "The Sopranos" and "Downton Abbey." Original programs include "Transparent," "Mozart in the Jungle" and "Catastrophe."
Netflix
- Price: $9.99 for standard membership.
- Offerings: Movies and already-aired TV shows, including "Friends" and "Breaking Bad." Original series include "House of Cards," "Orange is the New Black" and "Jessica Jones."
Hulu
- Price: $7.99 a month for its basic subscription with commercials. An ad-free version costs $11.99 a month.
- Offerings: Current TV episodes, such as "Empire" and "Modern Family," a day after they air on network TV. Original series include "The Mindy Project," "Difficult People" and "Casual." Movies are included.