Amazon has announced plans to roll out ads on Prime Video movies and TV shows starting in early 2024.
This measure will be applied in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and Canada in a first stage, and will then expand to France, Italy, Spain, Mexico and Australia later in the year. In addition, an ad-free option will be offered, although at an additional cost, which will become the default option for Amazon Prime members.
Prime Video is currently available to Prime subscribers, costing $14.99 monthly. Those who are happy with the ads option will not need to take any additional action and the price of Prime membership will remain the same. However, those who prefer to enjoy Prime Video without ads will have to pay an additional fee of $2.99 per month in the United States, with pricing for other countries to be announced later.
The introduction of ads on video streaming services is not new, as other Prime Video competitors, such as Max, Disney+ and Netflix, have implemented cheaper subscription levels, but with the condition of watching ads before playing a movie or program. Ads on Prime Video will reportedly be limited, aiming to have fewer ads than linear television and other streaming TV providers.
These plans to introduce ads on Prime Video were first mentioned in June, when it was reported that Amazon was in the early stages of discussing its implementation. The intention is to offer an ad-supported experience in a controlled manner and with fewer interruptions compared to other streaming services.
