Amazon launched Anime Strike this week, the company's first self-branded content to appear under its Channels subscriptions program for Prime members.

Anime Strike offers U.S. Prime members access to over 1,000 anime TV shows and movies for an extra $4.99 per month on top of the $99 Prime subscription. Amazon says the adult-themed channel will serve up seinen classics as well as weekly anime exclusives from Japan. A seven-day free trial lets Prime members check out the channel, which features "The Great Passage", "Scum's Wish", and "Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga", as well as anime classics like "Paprika" and "Tokyo Godfathers".

amazon-anime-strike
Amazon's existing add-on video subscription services include channels such as HBO, Comedy Central’s Stand-Up Plus, and Cinemax, but Anime Strike is the company's first own-branded, curated offering. Speaking to Variety, Amazon said it plans to launch additional branded subscription VOD channels in the coming months.

The move indicates intensifying competition among streaming services, with a wider range of exclusive content becoming increasingly necessary if companies are to fend off rival offerings. Back in November, sources claimed Apple was considering a price drop for Apple Music in time for the holiday period, with Amazon cited as the "biggest motivation" for the discussions over monthly pricing. However, the service's $9.99 price tag remains in place, and with reports this week that Apple is planning to create its own original TV shows for Apple Music, more content rather than lower cost appears to be the overriding strategy.

Amazon already serves up original TV content to Prime members through Instant Video, while the company's Amazon Music Unlimited service costs $7.99 per month (or $9.99 per month for non-Prime members). According to The Wall Street Journal, Amazon has held talks with a number of sports leagues including the NFL and NBA about obtaining live game rights, with a view to either including a sports package as part of its Prime membership or offering it as a paid add-on.

In July of last year, Amazon U.S. was estimated to have 63 million Prime members – more than half the online retailer's customer base.

Top Rated Comments

rictus007 Avatar
110 months ago
Meanwhile I'm still waiting for an amazon app for Apple TV
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
redscull Avatar
110 months ago
Of all the streaming services, I find Amazon's to be the worst (both in title selection and video quality). If I didn't take advantage of the shipping perk regularly, there is no way I'd continue my Prime subscription.

And on topic, this news is particularly ironic because Amazon censors its anime offerings on Prime. They think I'll pay them extra for more butchered content? No thanks. It's practically insulting.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
invalidname Avatar
110 months ago
Many anime fans are actually pretty livid about this, since Amazon has locked up one of the Winter season's few good shows, Scum's Wish, and the price is pretty hefty if you're not already a Prime subscriber. Even if you are, $5/month is arguably not worth a small number of exclusives and a bunch of stuff available elsewhere.

Anime fans had been counting on the consolidation of the streaming market with last year's tie-up between leading services Crunchyroll and Funimation (which are now both available as part of the $10/mo Vrv bundle… EDIT: and are also available free-with-commercials), and the thought of needing to pay for four or five separate subscriptions has more than a few fans publicly proclaiming that they're just going to go back to the piracy tactics that were mainstream prior to the emergence of Crunchyroll.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
69Mustang Avatar
110 months ago
Many anime fans are actually pretty livid about this, since Amazon has locked up one of the Winter season's few good shows, Scum's Wish, and the price is pretty hefty if you're not already a Prime subscriber. Even if you are, $5/month is arguably not worth a small number of exclusives and a bunch of stuff available elsewhere.

Anime fans had been counting on the consolidation of the streaming market with last year's tie-up between leading services Crunchyroll and Funimation (which are now both available as part of the $10/mo Vrv bundle), and the thought of needing to pay for four or five separate subscriptions has more than a few fans publicly proclaiming that they're just going to go back to the piracy tactics that were mainstream prior to the emergence of Crunchyroll.
Well anime fans are going to be at the front of a long line of livid fans of multiple genres. This is what it's going to be going forward. Tons of mini subscriptions to get the full compliment of what you want. That a la carte pipe dream a lot of people want is unsustainable. Always has been, always will be. So people will have to pony up for a load of mini subscriptions or pirate. Good times.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
A MacBook lover Avatar
110 months ago
So I have to pay more on top of membership charge? No thanks. I'll continue to use google to get my free anime
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macfacts Avatar
110 months ago
Not something I will personally use, but always good to see Amazon expanding Prime and including new options. The fact that they are never content with their current state of the Prime service is one of the reasons I choose them over Netflix.
How long before Amazon makes their "prime" package have less features/content so they an spin it off as another add-on?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

iPhone Driver's Licenses: These 17 U.S. States Offer Them or Will Later

Thursday June 19, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states and Puerto...
iPhone 16 Battery Life Feature

iOS 26's New Battery Life Mode Available Only on These iPhone Models

Saturday June 21, 2025 9:02 am PDT by
Last week, we reported that iOS 26 introduces an opt-in Adaptive Power Mode on the iPhone, alongside the existing Low Power Mode. Apple says that Adaptive Power Mode can make "small performance adjustments" when necessary to extend an iPhone's battery life, including slightly lowering the display brightness or allowing some activities to "take a little longer." The full description of...
ios 26 call holding

iOS 26 Beta is Hiding a New Ringtone — Here's What It Sounds Like

Thursday June 19, 2025 7:25 pm PDT by
Apple is hiding a new ringtone within iOS 26. The new ringtone is an alternative version of the existing Reflection ringtone, which has been the default ringtone since the iPhone X was released in 2017. It was discovered within the code for the first developer beta of iOS 26, but it remains hidden, so you will not find it in the list of ringtones available in the Settings app for now. It...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 14, 2025 5:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
apple watch ultra 2 new black

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Finally Coming After Two-Year Hiatus

Monday June 16, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple will finally deliver the Apple Watch Ultra 3 sometime this year, according to analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities Hong Kong (via @jukanlosreve). The analyst expects both the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 to arrive this year (likely alongside the new iPhone 17 lineup, if previous launches are anything to go by), according to his latest product roadmap shared with...
iOS 18

Apple Releases iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Wednesday June 18, 2025 10:24 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the first betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a few days after Apple provided the betas to developers. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software Update. When the...
General Spotify Feature

Spotify Preparing to Launch Long-Awaited Lossless Audio Tier on iPhone

Thursday June 19, 2025 1:46 pm PDT by
Spotify appears to be gearing up to launch its long-awaited lossless music tier. Chris Messina (via TechCrunch) and Spicetify (via The Verge) spotted new lossless references within the code for Spotify's desktop app and web player. With assistance from Aaron Perris, MacRumors has confirmed that the latest beta of the Spotify app for the iPhone also contains new lossless-related code....
airpods 4 blue

Apple Offering Free AirPods — Here's How to Get Them

Tuesday June 17, 2025 6:33 am PDT by
Apple is running a new promotion that offers free AirPods to qualifying customers. Now through September 30, college and university students in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Singapore can receive free AirPods 4 when they purchase an eligible new Mac or iPad from Apple. AirPods Pro 2 are also available at a discount. If you do not want AirPods, the promotion also offers various other...
Craig Federighi No

John Gruber Reacts to Apple Declining His Interview After His Criticism

Wednesday June 18, 2025 8:10 pm PDT by
Every year between 2015 and 2024, at least one Apple executive agreed to be interviewed by Daring Fireball's John Gruber for a special WWDC episode of his podcast, The Talk Show. Last year, for example, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi, marketing chief Greg Joswiak, and top AI researcher John Giannandrea joined Gruber on stage at the California Theatre in San Jose to discuss...