Amazon Channels first debuted in the US in December 2015 with the launch of the Streaming Partners Program. US subscribers have a high-quality selection of bolt-ons to choose from -- including HBO, SHOWTIME, STARZ, Cinemax and PBS KIDS -- but what the UK offering lacks in quality, it delivers on diversity. There are workout channels for Acacia TV and BeFit UK; foreign films from Fandor and Filmbox; and Heera, Amazon's curated Bollywood channel.

While Netflix doesn't allow third-party services to integrate with its platform, Sky has built its TV empire around bundles. Typically, a Sky customer needs to subscribe to a package of channels in order to get access to the one they're after, be it sport, entertainment or movies. Amazon does the opposite: it presents a variety of add-on subscriptions, allowing Prime members to pick and choose the most relevant channels and pay for them only.