Amazon Prime Video will soon contain ads unless you pay to remove them
Big changes are coming to Amazon's Prime Video service
Amazon is introducing ads into its current Prime Video tier so it can “continue investing in compelling content” but will let users pay more in the future to remove them.
The announcement was made on the About Amazon website and was caveated by all the benefits a Prime subscription currently brings to members. Amazon Prime members can enjoy unlimited one-day delivery, exclusive deals and shopping events like Amazon Prime Day October, Prime Reading and so much more.
Amazon also said it would not be raising the price of an Amazon Prime subscription in 2024 as a result of this change, and that existing subscribers will be emailed several weeks before ads are introduced into Prime Video with information on how to sign up for the ad-free option if they would like.
➡️ The Shortcut Skinny: Prime Video changes
😔 Amazon has announced ads will soon appear on its Prime Video platform
📺 The company said that it will have “meaningfully fewer ads than linear TV and other streaming TV providers”
💰 Users will be able to pay more to remove ads
🔒 Amazon promised its Prime membership will not increase in price in 2024 as a result
It’s unclear exactly how much Amazon’s ad-free tier will cost, but it’s a shame to see streaming services slowly adopting the practices of cable TV. Many of us left standard TV behind due to intrusive ads and being able to watch whatever we want without being subjected to countless adverts.
However, we’ve recently seen Netflix and Disney+ start offering ad-supported tiers to recoup the growing costs of creating original content and licensing fees that streamers are dealing with.
At least Amazon hasn’t started its own password-sharing crackdown yet. Netflix's password-sharing crackdown has been extremely successful, helping the streamer gain 5.9 million new subscribers in Q2 2023. This has led to Disney admitting that it will also end password sharing in 2024 in a bid to drive monetization.
Amazon Prime Video UK’s X account previously responded to Netflix’s decision to stop password sharing with a tongue-in-cheek post that it wouldn’t be doing the same, but we’ll see if the sales giant changes its tune in the months to come.
An annual Amazon Prime membership costs $139 per year, but expect that to rise if you want to enjoy Amazon’s Prime Video service without any ads.