Recently, Amazon Prime Video underwent a much-needed UI overhaul to make it more accessible to navigate and, frankly, more like Netflix, whose UI, for all its other problems, has a lot going for it.
However, Amazon Prime has also taken something specific from Netflix, the concept of a Top 10 list, which shows the best-performing movies and series on the service, only Amazon Originals. But while Netflix’s top 10 list changes every day, the fact that Amazon has the list now reveals just how far its original programming lags behind some of its rivals, including Netflix, with a few exceptions.
Now let’s go through the top 10 list and you’ll see what I mean. Check out the dates these things debuted:
So, I mean, do you see the weirdness here? Most of the shows here have been out for more than a month. Some of them are out for months, in large numbers, until spring. And we get to bizarre situations like Night Sky, which has been here since its debut in May, although it has already been canceled, and its obstacles will not be resolved. Outer Range is a similar show in a similar situation, though it hasn’t been canceled or renewed yet. Yet after four months it is in the top ten? That…speaks to the void of content, if you ask me.
It’s not like Amazon doesn’t have real hits. They do, and a few are on the board here like The Terminal List, The Boys, and Reacher, the last of which has probably been in the top ten for half a year now. But by showing a top 10 list like this, it shows that Amazon Prime, despite getting into the streaming game so early, compared to many of its competitors, still has trouble producing the breadth of content in a reasonable amount of time. We’re talking about Amazon, one of the biggest corporate powerhouses in the world, but it seems that it’s increasingly being overtaken by Apple and HBO, and its oldest rival, Netflix, is just a few miles ahead at the moment. Yes, Netflix has quality issues, but it’s not like the top 10 list here is full of absolutely amazing productions. The only shows I’d consider great here are The Boys and Reacher, although I know The Terminal List, The Summer I Turned Pretty and Paper Girls have their fans.
I’d say give it some time and we’ll see how things go, but that’s the thing, Amazon Prime Video is one of the oldest streaming services out there and it still seems like it’s lagging a lot apart from the occasional hit. They’re about to drop an atomic bomb in the form of their Lord of the Rings series, which I’m guessing will sit in the top 10 at #1 for at least half the year, so it’s clear they’re willing to spend to try and keep up. I just don’t know how well it’s worked so far, judging by a list like this.
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Take my sci-fi novels, the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
