Amazon's Prime Video heading for NZ

Jeremy Clarkson , Richard Hammond and James May in the first episode of their new Amazon Prime TV show The Grand Tour. Sourced 19th November 2016

Retail giant Amazon looks set to bring its Prime Video streaming service to New Zealand.

The subscription service offers thousands of films and television shows as well as exclusive content including The Grand Tour - Jeremy Clarkson's follow-up to Top Gear.

Prime Video is already available in Austria, UK, Germany, Japan and the US.

Amazon is keeping quiet on where it would be expanding to but has confirmed it would be rolling out The Grand Tour to around 200 countries with online communications hinting at a broader roll-out of the full service.

If the full service was rolled out to 200 countries it would directly rival competitor Netflix, which is currently available in 190 countries.

When approached for comment by The Wall Street Journal, an Amazon spokesperson did not deny further expansion, but said the company didn't have anything else to announce.

Hints about Amazon's expansion plans first emerged when Clarkson tweeted that viewers in 200 countries will be able to watch the show in December, followed by Amazon founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos tweeting about the show last week.

Netflix last month posted earning for the latest quarter and said it had gained 3.57 million paid subscribers to its streaming service, most of them from outside the US - and finished the quarter with a higher-than-expected 86.74 million subscribers.

The on-demand service said the rise of 'binge viewing' had boosted numbers and was planning a further 1,000 hours of original programming next year.

It has also expanded its content budget to some $8.5 billion.

Streaming services in New Zealand
LIGHTBOX
Price: $12.99 a month (recently reduced from $15)
Devices: iPads, selected Android tablets, computers via website, PlayStation 4, selected Samsung smart TVs
Movies: None available

NEON
Price: $20
Devices: iPad, iPhone, selected Android devices and computers via website.
Movies: Neon offers a cross-section of titles from the Sky Movies channels.

NETFLIX
Price: Three options - $11.49 a month for standard definition on one screen at a time; $14.99 a month for high definition on two devices at once; $18.49 a month "family plan" with ultra high-definition streaming for up to four devices at once.
Devices: Smart televisions from Samsung, LG, Sony, Panasonic, Philips and Hisense as well as PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo consoles. It can also be used on Apple TV, Google Chromecast, and Apple and Android tablets and smartphones.
Movies: Netflix offers a wide range of movies from classics to recent releases.