Amazon Prime Video adds free news hub for US streaming customers

Amazon announced on December 3, 2025, the rollout of a dedicated news destination within Prime Video, according to the company's press release. The streaming platform will provide US customers with access to local, national, and world news coverage from major networks directly through the Prime Video homepage at no additional cost. The feature began rolling out December 3 and will reach all US customers by the end of 2025.

The news hub aggregates content from ABC News Live, CBS News 24/7, LiveNOW from Fox, CNN Headlines, and NBC News NOW among hundreds of other channels. Prime Video plans to expand the selection to more than 200 channels by year's end, according to the announcement. Customers can access the news destination through the top navigation bar throughout the Prime Video application, which operates across thousands of compatible devices.

The integration of free news programming represents Amazon's expansion beyond entertainment content into information services. Prime Video introduced advertisements in January 2024, creating new advertising inventory across its streaming platform while developing measurement tools for campaign performance analysis.

All Amazon customers in the United States can access the news destination regardless of Prime membership status. Prime membership costs $14.99 monthly or $139 annually and includes Prime Video with limited advertisements. An ad-free option requires additional payment beyond the standard membership fee.

The news offering extends Prime Video's existing live content programming. The platform currently provides extensive 24/7 live and on-demand news content including live local and regional news stations, business, finance, and global news. Additional coverage spans sports, entertainment, Spanish-language programming, and weather through channels such as BBC News, FOX Weather, Bloomberg TV+, NBC Sports NOW, and Telemundo Al Día.

Customers maintaining subscriptions to Peacock Premium Plus, Paramount+, or FOX One can access additional news programming through those services within the Prime Video interface. The announcement positions Prime Video as what the company characterizes as a "first-stop entertainment destination" offering movies, series, sports, live events, and live television programming.

The news destination launch coincides with Amazon's broader streaming advertising infrastructure expansion. Amazon Marketing Cloud launched Prime Video viewership signals on November 11, 2025, introducing content engagement data that enables advertisers to analyze viewing patterns across the platform's catalog. The integration provides three primary data types: content title information, content type classification, and show-level engagement metrics.

The news hub matters for marketing professionals because it expands Amazon's addressable advertising inventory within premium video environments. Free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channels have experienced 42% growth, with major platforms including Tubi, Pluto TV, and The Roku Channel participating in annual television upfront presentations to advertisers. Investment in FAST now matches spending on virtual multichannel video programming distributors and streaming platforms, with 75% of connected TV advertising purchased programmatically according to IAB's 2024 Digital Video Ad Spend report.

Prime Video operates within Amazon's advertising business, which reached $17.7 billion in revenue during the third quarter of 2025, representing 22% year-over-year growth according to the company's financial disclosures. The Trade Desk CEO Jeff Green stated during a November 7 earnings call that Amazon will likely generate approximately seventy billion dollars in advertising revenue in 2025, with roughly ninety percent coming from Sponsored Listings competing with Google Search.

The news destination provides advertisers with access to audiences consuming timely information programming. Nielsen research shows 77% of Germans use video streaming services weekly, representing a seven percentage point year-over-year increase. While this specific metric covers German markets, it illustrates broader streaming adoption patterns across developed markets. Amazon disclosed at its first German upfront event on June 4, 2025, that Prime Video maintains an average monthly ad-supported reach exceeding 17 million customers in Germany, with 95% of those viewers making Amazon purchases within the previous three months.

The technical implementation enables Amazon to aggregate news content from multiple providers through a single interface accessible via the Prime Video homepage. This contrasts with traditional cable television news distribution, which requires separate channel tuning or service subscriptions. The streaming architecture allows Amazon to measure viewership engagement and content preferences with greater precision than broadcast or cable infrastructure.

Amazon expanded Prime Video Channel analytics to all eligible marketing partners on November 18, 2025, exiting open beta after initial launch in May 2025. The dataset provides enrollment and streaming analytics that enable audience analysis, campaign measurement, and media activation across Amazon's advertising platforms. Channel partners can conduct audience overlap analysis using the dataset, examining how their channel's viewership intersects with other customer segments.

The news programming expansion occurs as connected television advertising's share of media budgets projected to double from 14% in 2023 to 28% in 2025. Prime Video reached more than 200 million customers worldwide according to Amazon's announcements. The platform serves as a significant component of Amazon's advertising business, which generates substantial revenue through streaming inventory.

Prime Video offers more than 800 free ad-supported channels beyond the newly announced news destination. Customers without Prime membership can access programming through Prime Video subscriptions including MGM+, Apple TV, HBO Max, Peacock Premium Plus, FOX One, DAZN, and Crunchyroll. The platform also enables rental or purchase of individual titles.

The news destination joins Amazon's growing suite of streaming features. Prime Video introduced AI-powered video recaps in November 2025, generating personalized summaries synchronized with individual viewing history. Fire TV added AI-powered scene navigation in early December 2025, allowing viewers to jump to specific movie moments using natural language commands through Alexa+.

Amazon's first-party data integration distinguishes its advertising capabilities from competing streaming platforms. The company's e-commerce infrastructure provides shopping behavior insights that inform advertising strategies across Prime Video inventory. Amazon enabled zip code-level ad targeting for Prime Video in November 2025, introducing location-based interactive advertisements that display nearest dealership information, local agent contact details, or regionally specific pricing.

The news destination rollout follows Amazon's pattern of incremental feature expansion across its streaming infrastructure. Prime Video added exclusive X-Ray access for behind-the-scenes content and Shop the Show functionality enabling viewers to purchase items featured in programming. These features integrate entertainment consumption with Amazon's retail operations.

For advertisers, the news programming represents distinct inventory characteristics compared to entertainment content. News viewership patterns differ from on-demand programming, with audiences tuning in during specific dayparts for information updates rather than binge-watching serialized content. This creates different engagement patterns and advertising exposure dynamics.

Prime Video extended UEFA Champions League broadcasting rights through 2031 in November 2025, securing premium live sports content in UK, Germany, and Italy markets. The rights extension provides Amazon with certainty for developing innovations around sports content. Live sports and news programming share characteristics as appointment viewing that drives consistent audience engagement during specific time periods.

The announcement did not specify whether the news destination will feature advertisements beyond the limited ads already present across Prime Video's ad-supported tier. Prime Video introduced advertisements in January 2024 across the United States, subsequently expanding to the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Spain, Mexico, and Australia throughout 2024.

Measurement infrastructure supporting Prime Video advertising continues developing. Amazon integrated Live signals into Marketing Cloud on June 16, 2025, introducing measurement capabilities for live shopping campaigns through impressions, views, and clicks data. The same technical architecture supporting live shopping measurement could extend to news programming viewership analysis.

The news hub implementation requires no separate application download or interface navigation beyond accessing Prime Video's homepage. The top navigation placement ensures visibility without requiring customers to search for news content within the platform's catalog. This positioning differs from other streaming services that organize news content within broader category structures or require separate destination applications.

Amazon's approach consolidates news access within its existing streaming infrastructure rather than launching a separate news-focused application. This strategy mirrors Prime Video's broader positioning as a comprehensive entertainment destination offering multiple content types through a unified interface.

The December 3 announcement did not disclose specific licensing terms with news providers or revenue-sharing arrangements. Traditional broadcast networks including ABC (owned by Disney), CBS (Paramount Global), and NBC (NBCUniversal/Comcast) maintain their own streaming services including Paramount+, Peacock, and Disney+. Their participation in Prime Video's news destination suggests agreements that balance direct-to-consumer streaming strategies with distribution through Amazon's platform.

CNN Headlines' inclusion represents Warner Bros. Discovery's news content participating in Amazon's aggregation strategy. Fox's LiveNOW service provides another major broadcast news source within the integrated hub. The combination of major broadcast news networks with hundreds of additional channels creates a comprehensive news offering spanning mainstream and niche information sources.

The rollout timeline extending through the end of 2025 indicates a phased deployment across Amazon's customer base and device ecosystem. Prime Video operates across smart TVs, streaming media players, game consoles, mobile devices, and web browsers. Ensuring consistent functionality across thousands of device types requires systematic testing and deployment processes.

Prime membership provides additional benefits beyond Prime Video access, including free two-day delivery on eligible purchases, Prime Reading, Prime Music, and exclusive shopping deals. Discounted memberships remain available through Prime Access for qualifying low-income customers and Prime for Young Adults for students and younger members.

The news destination announcement positions Amazon's streaming service against competing platforms offering news content. YouTube provides extensive news programming from broadcasters, publishers, and independent creators. Sling TV, DIRECTV, and Fubo operate as internet-based multichannel video programming distributors specializing in live television including news networks. Pluto TV, owned by Paramount, offers free ad-supported news channels within its broader FAST service.

Amazon's competitive advantage derives from Prime Video's integration with the broader Amazon ecosystem, including shopping, original entertainment programming, and sports coverage. Thursday Night Football on Prime Video represents exclusive NFL streaming rights that drive subscriber engagement during the fall and winter seasons. The addition of comprehensive news programming provides year-round information content complementing seasonal sports coverage.

The announcement did not address international expansion plans for the news destination beyond the initial US rollout. Prime Video operates in numerous international markets with varying content libraries based on licensing agreements and local regulations. News programming involves additional considerations around editorial standards, regulatory compliance, and partnership structures with local broadcasters.

Timeline

• December 3, 2025: Amazon announces Prime Video news destination with rollout beginning same day
• End of 2025: News destination reaches all US Prime Video customers with 200+ channels
• November 18, 2025: Amazon expands Prime Video Channel analytics to all eligible partners
• November 11, 2025: Amazon Marketing Cloud launches Prime Video viewership signals for advertisers
• November 11, 2025: Amazon launches Creative Agent expansion supporting Streaming TV and Sponsored TV formats
• November 2025: Prime Video introduces AI-powered video recaps for series catch-ups
• Early December 2025: Fire TV launches AI scene search with Alexa+ integration
• June 4, 2025: Amazon holds first German upfront event disclosing 17 million monthly ad-supported reach
• January 2024: Prime Video introduces advertisements creating new advertiser inventory

Summary

Who: Amazon announced the news destination for all Prime Video customers in the United States. The feature serves both Prime members and non-Prime customers accessing Prime Video. Major news providers including ABC News Live, CBS News 24/7, LiveNOW from Fox, CNN Headlines, NBC News NOW, BBC News, FOX Weather, Bloomberg TV+, NBC Sports NOW, and Telemundo Al Día participate in the offering.

What: Prime Video launched a dedicated news destination accessible from the homepage top navigation, providing 24/7 access to local, national, and world news coverage. The service includes hundreds of news channels at no additional cost, expanding to more than 200 channels by year's end. Customers can access breaking news stories, financial market analyses, and talk shows through the integrated hub. Additional news offerings remain available through subscriptions to Peacock Premium Plus, Paramount+, and FOX One.

When: Amazon announced the news destination on December 3, 2025, with rollout beginning the same day. The feature will reach all US customers by the end of 2025. The expansion to 200+ channels will complete by year's end according to the announcement.

Where: The news destination operates within Prime Video, accessible through the application's top navigation across thousands of supported devices including smart TVs, streaming media players, mobile devices, and web browsers. All Amazon customers in the United States can access the service regardless of geographic location within the country.

Why: The news destination positions Prime Video as a comprehensive entertainment platform offering movies, series, sports, live events, and information programming through a single interface. The integration provides convenient access to news content without requiring separate applications or subscriptions for basic access. For Amazon's advertising business, news programming expands addressable inventory within premium video environments, complementing existing entertainment and sports content with information programming that drives consistent audience engagement during specific dayparts.