Avails format, technical specifications, metadata requirements, and delivery workflow — everything a distributor needs to get content live on Prime Video.
Amazon Prime Video is the largest transactional and subscription video platform for independent distributors, available in over 240 countries and territories. Delivering content to Prime Video requires navigating multiple submission pathways, strict avails formatting, and platform-specific technical specifications that differ from every other streaming service. Molten Cloud, the rights management and royalties platform for film and television, automates Prime Video avails generation, validates delivery specs against Amazon's requirements, and ensures that every title submitted is backed by verified rights data — so distributors deliver only what they have licensed, to the territories they have licensed it.
Not all content reaches Prime Video the same way. The submission pathway determines the avails format, the revenue model, the technical requirements, and the level of control the distributor retains.
| Pathway | Revenue Model | Avails Format | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prime Video Direct (PVD) | Rev-share (TVOD/AVOD) — typically 50% net | Self-service dashboard + MEF template | Indie distributors, small catalogs (1-50 titles) |
| Prime Video Channels | Subscription rev-share via branded channel | Channel-specific feed + Amazon CDF | Aggregators, niche content brands with 50+ titles |
| Licensed Content | License fee (fixed) or MG + rev-share | Direct negotiation, MEF avails, Backlot delivery | Established distributors, premium titles |
Most independent distributors start with Prime Video Direct for its self-service onboarding. As catalogs grow and track records develop, distributors may receive invitations for licensed deals or channel partnerships. Molten Cloud generates avails in the correct format for each pathway — PVD self-service, channel feeds, or licensed content MEF templates — from the same underlying rights data.
Amazon's avails format — the Media Exchange Format (MEF) — is a structured spreadsheet that defines what content is available, in which territories, at what price, and during which windows. The MEF template is one of the most detailed avails formats in the industry.
| Field | Description | Common Errors |
|---|---|---|
| Title / Season / Episode | Content identifier matching Amazon's catalog | Mismatched title strings between avails and asset |
| Territory | ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country codes | Using region names instead of codes; missing territories |
| Work Type | Movie, Season, Episode | Submitting episodes without parent season record |
| License Type | EST, VOD, SVOD, AVOD | Conflicting license types for same territory |
| Start / End Date | ISO 8601 format — window open and close | End date before start date; overlapping windows |
| Price Category | Amazon-defined pricing tier (SD/HD/UHD) | Missing UHD tier when 4K asset is delivered |
| Content Rating | Per-territory rating (MPAA, BBFC, FSK, etc.) | Using wrong rating system for territory |
| Localization | Audio/subtitle language codes per territory | Listing languages not present in delivered asset |
A single avails file for a 50-title catalog delivered to 30 territories produces 1,500+ rows — each requiring correct territory codes, pricing, window dates, ratings, and localization data. Manually building this from contracts and spreadsheets takes 2-3 days per submission cycle. Molten Cloud generates MEF-compliant avails directly from the rights database: territory availability, window dates, and pricing all pulled from actual deal data rather than manually transcribed.
Amazon Prime Video accepts content in specific technical formats. Failing QC on technical grounds — the wrong codec, incorrect audio channel mapping, or missing caption tracks — delays delivery by days or weeks while the asset is re-encoded and re-submitted.
| Specification | SD | HD | UHD / 4K |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resolution | 720 × 480 (NTSC) / 720 × 576 (PAL) | 1920 × 1080 | 3840 × 2160 |
| Video Codec | H.264 (AVC) | H.264 (AVC) | H.265 (HEVC) / HDR10 |
| Video Bitrate | 3-5 Mbps | 15-20 Mbps | 30-50 Mbps |
| Container | MXF or MOV | MXF or MOV | MXF or MOV |
| Frame Rate | 23.976 / 25 fps | 23.976 / 25 fps | 23.976 / 25 fps |
| Audio | Stereo (PCM/AAC) | 5.1 Surround (PCM) | 5.1 / Atmos (PCM/EC3) |
| Audio Bitrate | 192+ kbps | 448+ kbps (5.1) | 448+ kbps / 768+ kbps (Atmos) |
| Captions | SCC or TTML | SCC or TTML | TTML (IMSC1) |
Amazon requires separate audio tracks for each language — mixed audio is not accepted. Each language must be delivered as a discrete audio stream in the container. Additionally, the primary audio track must match the original language specified in the avails file. Mismatches trigger automatic QC rejection.
Amazon's metadata requirements go beyond standard title information. The Catalog Data Format (CDF) schema requires structured metadata that feeds Amazon's discovery, recommendation, and merchandising systems.
| Category | Required Fields |
|---|---|
| Title Info | Title, synopsis (short + long), genre, subgenre, original language, country of origin, release year |
| Credits | Director, cast (top 5 minimum), writer, producer — names must match Amazon's catalog format |
| Ratings | Content rating per territory (MPAA, BBFC, FSK, OFLC, etc.) with content descriptors |
| Artwork | Key art in 16:9 (landscape) and 2:3 (portrait) — minimum 2400px wide, no text overlays on safe zones |
| Runtime | Exact runtime in HH:MM:SS matching the delivered asset (±2 second tolerance) |
| Identifiers | EIDR ID (if available), ISAN, or Amazon-assigned ID |
After submission, Amazon runs automated quality control on both the asset and the metadata. The QC process takes 24-72 hours. Common failure reasons include:
Amazon provides different delivery mechanisms depending on the submission pathway and catalog size.
| Pathway | Delivery Method | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Prime Video Direct | Web upload via PVD portal | Browser-based upload for assets under 50GB; Aspera Connect for larger files |
| Channels | Amazon S3 bucket or Aspera | Dedicated S3 bucket per channel partner; automated ingestion pipeline |
| Licensed Content | Backlot portal + Aspera | Amazon's proprietary delivery platform; highest QC standards; dedicated tech contact |
1. Territory-pricing mismatch. Submitting avails with pricing for territories where the content is not actually licensed — Amazon accepts the avails but flags the conflict during rights verification, delaying the entire submission.
2. Mixed audio tracks. Delivering a single audio file with multiple languages mixed together instead of discrete per-language tracks. Amazon requires separate audio streams — no exceptions.
3. Caption format errors. Submitting SRT files (not accepted) instead of SCC or TTML. Even when the format is correct, timing drift between captions and video triggers QC rejection if it exceeds 1 second.
4. Artwork safe zones. Placing critical text or logos in Amazon's UI overlay zones. Amazon overlays play buttons, progress bars, and title cards on artwork — content in these zones gets obscured.
5. Avails window overlaps. Submitting overlapping windows for the same territory and license type. If SVOD rights for Germany are available Jan 1 - Dec 31, a second avails entry for SVOD Germany starting June 1 causes a rejection.
Molten Cloud connects rights data to delivery operations. For Amazon Prime Video, this means:
Distributors deliver content to Amazon Prime Video through one of three pathways: Prime Video Direct (self-service portal for indie distributors, revenue-share model), Prime Video Channels (branded subscription channels, requires 50+ titles), or Licensed Content (direct licensing deals negotiated with Amazon). Each pathway requires MEF-formatted avails files, content encoded to Amazon's technical specifications (H.264/H.265 in MXF or MOV containers), CDF metadata, and artwork in 16:9 and 2:3 formats. Delivery is via web upload (PVD), Amazon S3 (Channels), or Amazon Backlot (Licensed). Platforms like Molten Cloud automate MEF avails generation from rights data and pre-validate submissions against Amazon's specs before upload.
The Amazon Media Exchange Format (MEF) is Amazon's proprietary avails template — a structured spreadsheet defining content availability by title, territory, license type, window dates, pricing tier, content rating, and localization data. Each row represents a single title-territory-window combination. A 50-title catalog across 30 territories produces 1,500+ rows. The MEF template requires 40-60 fields per entry including ISO territory codes, Amazon-defined pricing categories, per-territory content ratings, and audio/subtitle language codes. Formatting errors (wrong date format, invalid territory code, missing required field) cause the entire file to be rejected. Molten Cloud generates MEF-compliant avails directly from the rights database, eliminating manual spreadsheet construction.
Amazon Prime Video requires video in H.264 (SD/HD) or H.265 (UHD/HDR) codec, wrapped in MXF or MOV containers. Resolution requirements: 720×480/576 (SD), 1920×1080 (HD), 3840×2160 (UHD). Audio must be delivered as separate per-language tracks in PCM or AAC format — mixed audio is not accepted. 5.1 surround is required for HD content; Dolby Atmos is supported for UHD. Closed captions must be in SCC or TTML format (SRT is not accepted). Artwork is required in both 16:9 (landscape) and 2:3 (portrait) orientations at minimum 2400px width. Amazon runs automated QC within 24-72 hours of submission.
Molten Cloud automates Amazon Prime Video delivery through four integrated capabilities: MEF avails generation (one-click export from verified rights data with correct territory codes, pricing, and window dates), automated transcoding profiles (Amazon-specific encoding presets for SD/HD/UHD with correct codec, container, and audio configuration), pre-submission QC validation (checks avails formatting, metadata completeness, and asset compliance before upload — catching errors before Amazon's 48-hour QC cycle), and deal-triggered workflows (new Amazon deals automatically generate structured delivery tasks with specs and deadlines). The result: avails preparation that takes 3-5 days manually completes in 2-4 hours.
Molten Cloud generates Amazon-ready avails from your rights data — no spreadsheets, no formatting errors, no QC surprises.
See how platform delivery works in Molten Cloud
