Amazon Prime Video has officially announced significant changes to its content offerings, making headlines for both the end of its Premier League coverage and the launch of a revamped user interface aimed at enhancing the viewing experience for subscribers.
For the last six years, Amazon Prime Video provided fans with access to two full Premier League matchdays each season, creating substantial excitement around its coverage. Now, as the Premier League enters new broadcasting rights negotiations, Amazon’s partnership will conclude at the end of 2024. The shift marks the return of traditional broadcasters Sky Sports and TNT Sports (formerly BT Sport) as the primary homes for the league, after the new rights agreement resulted in Sky and TNT securing the majority of games beginning with the 2025-2026 season.
According to The Athletic, Amazon’s previous contract represented a relatively economical deal with the Premier League at £30 million per season. To continue covering Premier League matches, Amazon would have had to pay over ten times this amount, leading them to opt out of the recent auction. The Athletic reported, "Amazon chose not to be involved. Their neat, little 20-game package was no longer available when the Premier League ran their auction last year."
This departure is felt by many football fans who regarded Amazon Prime Video as the only streaming platform allowing them to watch live matches without the restrictions often imposed by traditional broadcasters. The ease of Prime Video access combined with the convenience of the subscription, which many households already had for shopping perks, created added value. With the end of this coverage, fans will be required to subscribe to TNT or Sky to view Premier League action legally from next season.
Meanwhile, Amazon has been gearing up to launch the most significant update to the Prime Video user experience in two years. This redesign, slated to roll out globally on July 23, is centered on simplifying the platform's navigation to help users locate content quickly and efficiently. Amazon asserts the new user interface addresses longstanding frustrations users have experienced, particularly relating to content availability.
Responses to customer feedback played a pivotal role in shaping these updates. Kam Keshmiri, Prime Video’s VP of Design, emphasized, "With the improvements we have made to the user experience, customers will be presented with an easy-to-navigate entertainment destination where they can discover new titles and enjoy favorites." The redesign aims to assist viewers by clearly distinguishing what titles are included with Prime membership versus those requiring additional payment.
The new interface introduces visual cues to help users comprehend their options at a glance. For example, titles associated with Amazon Prime will display the Prime logo, whereas those requiring add-on subscriptions will display logos from services like Max, Paramount+, and Starz. If content incurs extra costs, users will see a yellow shopping bag icon, indicating they need to pay more.
Navigation has also been simplified through the incorporation of a new navigation bar providing quick access points to various content types, including “Home,” “Movies,” “TV Shows,” “Sports,” and “Live TV.” This organizational structure enhances the way users browse and manage their subscriptions, offering recommendations based on individual preferences shaped by prior viewing habits. The addition of personalized content recommendations powered by generative AI is expected to make discovering new favorites easier than ever.
Among Prime Video’s new features is the offer of dedicated sections, highlighting exclusive Prime content, current promotions, and subscription bundles from third-party services. With over 100 add-on subscriptions available in the U.S. alone, users can browse and manage their active subscriptions more effortlessly than before.
Another interesting upgrade is the hero rotator, displaying both content available with Prime subscriptions and titles users can rent or purchase. Content will auto-play as users navigate through these options, making it even more seamless to find something to watch.
Alongside these functional updates, Prime Video is introducing aesthetic changes with new animations and smoother page transitions to create an engaging user experience. The overall goal of these enhancements is to shift Prime Video’s reputation toward being a more intuitive streamlining platform for hooking viewers.
Despite the disappointing news for Premier League fans and the departure from live football coverage, Amazon's commitment to improving the user interface reflects its intentions to retain its subscriber base amid increasing competition from traditional broadcasters. Although Amazon Prime Video is moving away from the Premier League, they're doubling down on user experience improvements, promising ease of use and personalized recommendations to keep viewers engaged and entertained.
