Amazon Prime Video is launching its own online channel for members in Germany and Austria, featuring the best of its programming every day. The new Prime channel bundles the Prime Video Highlights in a channel, complete with commercial breaks, and will be free of charge exclusively for Amazon Prime members.
The channel will be promoted in the Live TV section of the Prime Video app, where users also have access to all public broadcasters and an electronic programme guide showing details of the current and following programme.
The Prime channel will launch on 17 April, with the first two episodes of a new seasons of LOL: Last One Laughing. It will feature global productions such as Reacher, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, and Fallout, as well as German productions like Maxton Hall – Die Welt zwischen uns, set in an exclusive private school, and Perfekt Verpasst, which translates as Perfectly Missed.
In Germany, the Prime channel will feature the live broadcast of the top match of the UEFA Champions League on Tuesdays. Germany and Austria will also have coverage of Wimbledon tennis.
Christoph Schneider, the country director for Amazon Prime Video in, said in an interview with a German media magazine, that there would be commercial breaks but that they would be less frequent and short than traditional television.
The launch in the German market could presumably be extended into other territories if successful. The announced line-up sounds rather underwhelming and is basically a shop window for Amazon properties. Nevertheless, it represents a statement of intent. It also suggests that Amazon considers that there is a role for conventional channels on its online video platform, even if the primary purpose appears to be to promote its on-demand offering.