Small selection of Amazon Prime content now available in TH

[IMHO]

I noticed that my FireTV had a new item on the Home page a few days ago, called: "Content to watch while abroad". There's only a small collection of Amazon originals available right now though - nothing you'd commit to a paid plan for. However, it did let me start a Prime 30 day trial from my Thai IP address, which is something you could not do before this new menu item appeared, which is a clear change in policy there.

A sign of more to come?

Maybe we'll be able to watch The Grand Tour in streaming 1080P/4K?

Edited June 16, 2016 by IMHO

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I saw that same "Content to watch while abroad" message a week or so back on my Fire TV 2nd gen... one day when my system didn't connect to my normal U.S. wifi because the power had tripped out overnight.

But I didn't know about the Prime trial issue you mentioned above.

AFAIK, Amazon Prime Music is OK to play when traveling outside of the U.S. -- at least, I've never had any problems with that.

But trying to stream their video without a U.S. IP was always a non-starter, at least in the past.

Here's what the Amazon Prime Video website says at present:

Also make sure you're accessing Prime Video from an eligible U.S. location. Due to licensing agreements, Prime Video is only available to customers located in the United States and U.S. territories, except for selected Amazon Originals titles available to watch while abroad. To learn more go to Watching Videos While Traveling Abroad.

Watching Videos While Traveling Abroad

Eligible Prime members with Prime Video can stream selected Amazon Originals titles while traveling outside their home country.

While traveling abroad, eligible Prime members see a Watch While Abroad banner when browsing Amazon Video from the Amazon website, mobile devices, Fire tablets, Amazon Fire TV, and Fire TV Stick. Clicking the Browse videos link will take you to the Watch While Abroad carousels.

These carousels, “Prime TV to Watch While Abroad,” “Kids TV to Watch While Abroad,” and “Your Video Library” show all titles available while traveling abroad.

To start watching, open the video details for a title in the carousels, and select Watch Now.

You can also find titles available to watch while traveling abroad on the Amazon website at: https://www.amazon.com/watchabroad

Watch While Abroad is only available for the selection of Amazon Originals titles featured in the Watch While Abroad carousels. It is not available for other Prime titles, which can only be streamed or downloaded from within the United States and U.S territories.

Tip: You can download selected Prime titles to your device for offline playback while you're traveling. For more information about downloading Prime titles, go to Download Prime Video Titles

Edited June 16, 2016 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[IMHO]

As noted, before this new menu item appeared, it was not possible to even start an Amazon Prime 30-day trial from a Thai IP. Now it is, even with an account using Thai IP and Thai street address. It's the fact that they now allow non-US/UK/DE customers to start a Prime Video trial that intrigues me the most.

Edited June 17, 2016 by IMHO

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

One thing Amazon has done lately is to separate out their Prime Video service as an available subscription, even for customers who don't want to subscribe to the full Amazon Prime membership with the related free shipping benefits. They also introduced a monthly subscription option that hasn't existed before.

And yet, most of their video streaming catalog remains unavailable to Thai IP users, and much of their regular store content remains unavailable for direct shipping to Thailand. So as regards to TH, I'm not sure where they might be going with this.

[NE1]

I signed up for the 30 day trial , have just watched Clarkson May and Hammond Grand Tour , and I thought it was a good show considering it was the first.

How ever , I have tried to watch other movies / T.V. shows , and it will not let me as I am not in America .

What is that all about ?

Edited November 18, 2016 by NE1

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Just like everything else. A content provider has to negotiate with the content owner to have the legal right to show the content in particular areas -- just in the U.S., in European countries, in Asia, worldwide, etc. etc.

 

Amazon Video started out principally as a U.S. service, so that's where their original rights acquisitions were. However, more recently, Amazon has really been expanding at least its Amazon Video footprint to more countries around the world. And the word is, it's likely to expand even more in the coming months so they can take advantage of the international appeal of the Grand Tour program.

 

That said, I haven't heard any inkling that Amazon Video is anywhere close to expanding formally into Thailand -- unlike what Netflix did earlier this year. Although, Amazon Video is the 2nd largest online video service in the U.S. behind Netflix, and I'm sure Netflix's international expansion has Amazon thinking in the same direction.

 

Quote

Amazon to make ‘The Grand Tour’ available in 200 countries this December
Nov. 17, 2016|
 

Currently, Amazon Video is only available in the US, UK, Germany, Austria, and Japan. That poses a problem for Amazon’s new show The Grand Tour, which premieres tomorrow November 18th. That’s because Top Gear, the show that The Grand Tour’s hosts are coming from, was a global hit and was available in over 200 territories. If The Grand Tour was only watchable in countries where Amazon Video was available, then millions of fans would be upset. To make things right, Amazon will be making The Grand Tour available in 200 countries, starting in December.
 

It’s unclear if Amazon Video in its entirety will be expanding globally come December, or if it’s just this one show that will be made available. We know India will be getting a full Amazon Video library soon, so we’ll have to wait and see if the rest of the world follows in December.

http://www.aftvnews.com/amazon-to-make-the-grand-tour-available-in-200-countries-this-december/

https://www.amazon.com/b?node=16048987011&tag=aftvn-20

 

The Grand Tour launches in the UK, US, Germany, Austria and Japan this Friday, 18 November. In December, the show will premiere in 200 countries and territories around the world, exclusively on Amazon. Fans from around the globe will be able to catch up on all episodes aired to date. New episodes will be released weekly, every Friday, worldwide.

 

 

Edited November 18, 2016 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[NE1]

So I watched the Grand Tour today , how is it I can access that and nothing else . I would figure , if it was made by Amazon ( like Grand Tour ) then other progs. Amazon make can be viewed from anywhere

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

22 minutes ago, NE1 said:

So I watched the Grand Tour today , how is it I can access that and nothing else . I would figure , if it was made by Amazon ( like Grand Tour ) then other progs. Amazon make can be viewed from anywhere

 

Up until recently, Amazon typically was only offering their online Prime Video content in countries where they also were selling their hardware devices like Fire TV, etc.  And that didn't include Thailand or the rest of SE Asia.

 

But now with Netflix having substantially gone international, perhaps the Grand Tour show's handling (200 countries) is a sign that Amazon is going to be upping their international presence.

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Here's another report on Amazon's international aspirations, short on details and specifics, long on speculation that the December rollout for Grand Tour may be accompanied by an expansion of other of Amazon's video content.

 

http://deadline.com/2016/11/amazon-studios-international-rollout-the-grand-tour-jeremy-clarkson-richard-hammond-roy-price-james-may-1201856175/

[NE1]

It has already been shown here  , Information for amazon prime is sketchy.

[JaseTheBass]

I don't think its worth signing up for yet and until they have local servers the quality will be limited. It does bode well for the future though.

Sent from my R2D2 using my C3P0 manservant

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Amazon HD streams fine for me....here....

 

I don't have a 4K set, so I can't speak to that. But I suspect that 4K (needing 20-25 Mbps sustained) WOULD be an issue until and unless they get local servers.

 

Edited November 19, 2016 by TallGuyJohninBKK