Amazon has closed the Prime TV channel, 15 months after it originally launched in Germany and Austria. The company did not provide any reason in an announcement on its German web site. It simply said that the Amazon Prime TV channel would be discontinued from 1 August. The programmes will remain available on demand. Amazon noted that live programming of ARD, ZDF and regional channels, as well as more than 500 other online channels, would continue.
Amazon announced in February 2025 that it would launch a linear Prime TV channel within Prime Video in Germany and Austria.
The channel launched on 17 April 2025 as a curated 24-hour showcase of Prime Video programming, including films, series and live sports such as Champions League and Wimbledon.
At the time it was described as a shop window for Prime Video programming, aimed particularly at viewers who were more comfortable with traditional television habits.
The channel also gave Prime a presence in traditional televisions lists guides.
The channel appeared as a new option under the Live TV section of Prime Video. The first programme was an episode of a new series of the comedy programme LOL: Last One Laughing.
Amazon promoted the monthly Prime Video highlights around the same period, emphasising films, series and sport rather than making the linear channel itself the headline.
Commentators noted the irony that Netflix and others had spent years teaching audiences to leave schedules behind, while Amazon was deliberately recreating a schedule.
Yet there is more to a television channel than a schedule of programmes, as broadcasters understand, and perhaps Amazon has yet to learn.
There appears to be little published evidence about audience reach, viewing time, or advertising performance.
The closure of the channel may tell its own story.