What’s happened? Prime Video has launched a new feature called Video Recaps, using generative AI to create short summary videos that bring you up to speed before a new season. The best part is that it uses actual footage, voice narration, music and dialogue clips to highlight a show’s key moments without giving any spoilers.
- When you go to the detail page of a supported show or movie, you’ll see a new Recap button.
- Once selected, you can choose between a video recap and the existing X-Ray Recaps text summary that creates spoiler-free summaries for shows.
- The tool is currently available in beta in the U.S. region for select English-language Prime Originals such as Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Bosch, Upload, The Rig and Fallout.
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This is important because: If you’ve ever started a new season and wondered “what happened last time?”, this solves that problem in a cinematic way. Instead of re-watching old episodes or scrolling through Wikipedia, you can jump in with context.
- The AI behind Video Recaps analyzes character arcs, major plot points and turning scenes, then stitches them into a theatrical-style highlight video.
- It builds on Prime Video’s earlier “X-Ray Recaps” feature from 2024, which offered quick text summaries of key story moments.
- Since the Recaps feature pulls from licensed footage, the feature is limited to select Prime Originals for now.
AI-generated recaps are quickly becoming the norm across platforms, with tools like Spotify’s new recap feature for audiobooks and Kindle’s story progress recaps, helping users catch up without starting from scratch.
Why should I care? If you watch a lot of TV series on Prime Video and sometimes lose track of characters or storylines, this is a real help.
- You can start a new season knowing you’re refreshed on what came before, saving you hours of rewinding.
- You also get to decide whether you want just a quick update (text) or a fully produced video recap.
- This update may encourage viewers to resume shows they paused and feel confident about picking up a season after a long gap.
If you don’t see Video Recaps feature yet, your account or region may not be included in the beta. While the recap feature rolls out more widely, you can take a look at what’s new on Amazon Prime Video or dive straight into the best movies currently available on the platform.
