Amazon Video Direct
Self-service distribution to Amazon Prime Video's massive global audience
Overview
Amazon Video Direct enables content creators to publish video content directly to the Amazon Prime Video ecosystem. Filmmakers can make their work available for rent, purchase, or free streaming with ads across Amazon's global marketplace.
The submission process involves uploading your content along with metadata, artwork, and closed captions. Amazon reviews submissions for quality and content policy compliance before making them available to Prime Video subscribers and customers.
How It Works
Access to Amazon's enormous customer base is the primary draw, as Prime Video reaches hundreds of millions of subscribers worldwide. Content published through AVD appears alongside major studio releases, giving independent work significant visibility.
Publishing is free, with Amazon taking a revenue share that varies by distribution model. Ad-supported free streaming typically earns creators around $0.15 per streaming hour, while transactional rentals and purchases offer 50% revenue share.
Who Uses It
A strong option for filmmakers who want broad reach without upfront distribution costs. Pairing an Amazon listing with other platforms creates a multi-channel strategy that maximizes revenue potential.
Pricing & Plans
Publishing content through Amazon Video Direct is free with no upfront fees, annual charges, or submission costs. Revenue models include ad-supported free streaming where creators earn approximately $0.15 per streaming hour through the Amazon Ads program; transactional video on demand (TVOD) where viewers rent or purchase titles and creators receive 50% of the net revenue; and Prime Video inclusion where eligible titles earn royalties based on viewing hours by Prime subscribers. The TVOD model allows creators to set their own rental and purchase prices within Amazon's guidelines, typically with rentals in the $3-6 range and purchases in the $8-15 range for independent features. Amazon handles all payment processing, digital delivery, and DRM protection at no additional cost to the filmmaker. Revenue is reported monthly through the Amazon dashboard, with payments processed approximately 90 days after the end of each earning period, which is a longer payment cycle than most competing platforms.
Pros & Cons
What's Great
Amazon's enormous global customer base of hundreds of millions of active accounts provides unparalleled potential reach for independent content, placing your film alongside major studio releases in the world's largest digital marketplace. The multiple monetization models — free ad-supported, rental, purchase, and Prime subscription — allow filmmakers to test different approaches and optimize their revenue strategy based on actual performance data. Amazon's recommendation algorithm, refined by decades of e-commerce data, can surface your content to viewers who have demonstrated interest in similar titles, creating organic discovery that drives views without marketing spend. The credibility of having your film listed on Amazon Prime Video provides meaningful professional validation that can be referenced on resumes, in press materials, and when approaching other distributors or festival programmers. Amazon's global infrastructure means your content can reach international audiences in territories you might not be able to access through other distribution channels, expanding your potential market well beyond the US. The integration with Amazon's broader ecosystem means viewers who discover your content may also find your IMDb page, your other creative work, and any physical media or merchandise you offer through Amazon's marketplace.
What Could Be Better
Amazon's quality review process can be stringent and sometimes inconsistent, with submissions rejected for technical issues, metadata formatting, or content policy concerns that may require multiple revision cycles before acceptance. The approximately $0.15 per streaming hour rate for ad-supported content is extremely low, meaning even successful titles may generate only modest revenue through this model unless they achieve exceptional viewership numbers. The 90-day payment delay means filmmakers must wait three months after earning revenue to receive payment, which can create cash flow challenges for independent creators relying on distribution income. While Amazon's customer base is enormous, the sheer volume of content available on Prime Video means that independent titles without marketing support can be buried among thousands of other films, receiving minimal organic discovery despite the platform's reach. Amazon's terms of service give the company significant latitude to change revenue rates, policies, and distribution terms, and filmmakers have limited negotiating power or recourse if terms shift unfavorably. The closed-caption and quality requirements for Amazon Video Direct submissions can require additional investment in professional captions and encoding that add to the total cost of distribution even though the listing itself is free.
Our Recommendation
Amazon Video Direct is recommended for virtually every independent filmmaker as a standard component of a multi-platform distribution strategy, given that listing is free and the potential reach is unmatched. The platform works best when combined with other distribution channels — use Amazon for broad reach and discoverability while using Vimeo On Demand for premium direct-to-consumer sales and festival screenings for press and industry exposure. Filmmakers with commercially viable titles that can generate significant viewership should experiment with both ad-supported and transactional models to determine which generates more total revenue for their specific content. If your primary goal is revenue rather than reach, the TVOD rental and purchase model typically generates more per-viewer income than the ad-supported model, making it the better choice for films with audiences willing to pay for content. Filmmakers who want a hands-off distribution experience should consider using an aggregator like FilmHub to distribute to Amazon alongside dozens of other platforms simultaneously, rather than managing the Amazon Video Direct submission process independently.
Pro Tips
Invest in professional-quality key artwork and a compelling synopsis, as these elements drive click-through rates on Amazon just as they do in any other marketplace — viewers browsing the platform make split-second decisions based on the poster image and description. Ensure your closed captions meet Amazon's technical requirements before submitting, as caption-related rejections are among the most common reasons for delayed publishing and the revision process adds unnecessary time to your launch. Set up your Amazon Author/Creator page and link it to your film's listing to create a professional presence that encourages viewers who enjoy your work to explore your other projects and follow your career. Choose your pricing strategy carefully for TVOD by researching comparable independent titles on Amazon and pricing competitively — overpricing drives viewers to cheaper alternatives while underpricing undervalues your work and signals low quality. Promote your Amazon listing through your personal website, social media, and email list, as the films that perform best on Amazon Video Direct are those driven by external marketing rather than relying solely on Amazon's internal discovery algorithms.