- Prime Video is launching a new ‘Video Recap’ feature in beta for select shows
- The new generative AI feature is built on Amazon’s Bedrock model for stitching together scenes from shows
- The test marks another AI-powered feature for Prime Video, but it’s only rolling out in the US for now
TechRadar AI Week 2025
This article is part of TechRadar’s AI Week 2025. We cover the basics of AI and show you how to get the most out of the likes of ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude, along with in-depth features, news and the main talking points in the world of AI.
We’ve already seen some of the top streaming services integrate AI-powered functionality and features into how they recommend content and even into writing show, movie and documentary descriptions.
Now, though, Prime Video has set its sights on using AI to help us catch up on seasons — at least in the US — for select original content in a beta trial rolling out now. In 2024, Amazon first dipped its toes into AI-generated content with spoiler-free, compact descriptions of plot points for shows; however, now it will use AI to put together a ‘Video Recap’ to help bridge the seasons.
Essentially, when you click on ‘Video Recap’ on an eligible program’s page, it will present a roughly three-minute recap of the show. In the background, before you request, the AI will go into action, analyzing the show, identifying key plot points and getting a feel for the main characters’ arcs. The AI then clips together the best video clips from the season and stitches them together with AI-generated voiceover narration that plays over what will likely be a few minutes of recaps.
It’s no easy feat, as it’s essentially splicing together key plot points and combining them into a quick video that features custom voiceovers over footage from the show — including dialogue — and adding music. However, these are pre-generated and Amazon uses a combination of models available on its own Amazon Bedrock, which lives on AWS or Amazon Web Services.
After the summary, which should get you up to speed, you can roll right into the regular programming. Prime Video says it’s rolling out ‘Video Recap’ in beta in the US for select English-language original series. Right now the list includes Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Fallout, The Rig, Bosch, and Upload.
It’s also only rolling out to devices in the living room — think a Fire TV or a streaming player connected to a TV. The release does not mention whether additional devices, such as the web or apps for iOS or Android, will be supported in the coming months. All eligible users in the US should watch “Video Recaps” next week, November 24, 2025.
Given that it’s a limited US beta right now, we’ve asked Amazon if this will be rolling out to the UK, Australia and other international territories, either in beta or as a full release. Amazon says that at launch ‘Video Recaps’ will only be available in the US.
And while you’ll have to navigate to see the video summary, these are all pre-generated, so while it’s a heavy lift of AI, it won’t happen in real-time every time a user requests it.
Gérard Medioni, vice president of technology at Prime Video, writes that Video Recap is a “first-of-its-kind feature [that] demonstrates Prime Video’s ongoing commitment to innovation and making the viewing experience more accessible and enjoyable for customers.” It’s the latest AI-powered feature to come to Prime Video, and it comes over a year after the streaming platform delivered a major redesign that impressed some customers and us in our testing.
Provided these video recaps look good and meet the needs of a fun, engaging and immersive recap, it could start a trend that other streaming services might copy. I, for one, enjoy a recap of a series – especially if there has been longer between seasons. I needed it when The morning show returned on Apple TV (formerly Apple TV+) and I want to see a fun one for when Ted Lasso returns.
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Given that Prime Video also hosts Prime Video Channels – which give you access to other streaming services’ content within the same interface – we’ll have to see if Amazon can strike a deal to offer these video recaps for non-Prime Video originals, or if Amazon chooses to extend this to its other in-house produced, produced or owned content.
I’m eager to try this one out and see Prime Video’s video recaps in action, but I also have some concerns about how good these might be, and of course how this might affect the editors, showrunners, and producers who would typically orchestrate recaps at the start of a season.
Even if it’s up to quality and the actual team decides not to make one, this could work as a decent replacement – we’ll have to wait and see, err, see.
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