Amazon adds offline viewing to Prime video service

Amazon on Tuesday added offline viewing of films or television shows to its Prime subscription video service.

The feature breaks the tether of Internet streaming by allowing Prime members to download films or television show episodes to Apple or Android smartphones or tablets for viewing when devices are offline.

It was rolled out in Britain, Germany, Austria and the United States.

"There's no doubt that the way people watch entertainment is changing — anytime, anywhere viewing is important and we are excited to provide our Prime members with offline viewing capabilities on iOS and Android platforms starting today," Amazon vice president of digital video Michael Paull said in a release.

"We are proud to be the first and only online subscription streaming service that enables offline viewing — on vacation, in a car, at the beach, on a plane, wherever our Prime members want to watch, they can."

Amazon Prime is priced at $99 yearly in the United States. It comes with music streaming, e-books, online photo storage and free two-day shipping of items purchased from the online retail powerhouse.