Amazon
has announced that “limited advertisements” will be added to
Prime Video
in the US, UK, Germany, and Canada starting from January 29. The company says that these ads will allow it to continue investing in “compelling content” that will increase over a long period.
Subscribers were informed about this development through a letter (via The Verge), which read, “We are writing to you today about an upcoming change to your Prime Video experience. Starting January 29, Prime Video movies and TV shows will include limited advertisements. This will allow us to continue investing in compelling content and keep increasing that investment over a long period of time.”
Amazon says that Prime Video will have “meaningfully fewer ads” than television and other streaming platforms.
Subscribers will not need to do anything, and there is no change to the pricing of Prime membership. Amazon is introducing a new
ad-free
subscription tier, which will be available for an additional $2.99 per month in the US. Prime Video subscribers can pre-register for the monthly ad-free option but will not be billed until January 29.
There will not be any ads on the purchased content. Additionally, the residents of Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Guam, the Mariana Islands, and American Samoa will not be affected by this change for the time being.
Amazon plans to expand advertisements to France, Italy, Spain, Mexico, and Australia later in 2024. There is no word on if or when the ads will be shown on Prime Video in India.
“One of the Prime benefits that we continue investing heavily in is Prime Video, which has expanded to offer hit movies, great shows, award-winning Amazon Originals, and live sports—all in a single destination. Prime Video offers a vast selection of movies and series, including Amazon Originals, and live sports. Amazon
MGM Studios earned 68 Primetime Emmy Award nominations this year, marking the Studio’s biggest year ever, with critically acclaimed and fan-favourite series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel becoming the most Emmy-nominated streaming comedy ever with 80 nominations over its five-season run.
To continue investing in compelling content and keep increasing that investment over a long period of time, starting in early 2024, Prime Video shows and movies will include limited advertisements. We aim to have meaningfully fewer ads than linear TV and other streaming TV providers. Ads in Prime Video content will be introduced in the U.S., U.K., Germany, and Canada in early 2024, followed by France, Italy, Spain, Mexico, and Australia later in the year. No action is required for Prime members. We’re not making changes in 2024 to the current price of Prime membership. We will also offer a new ad-free option for an additional $2.99 per month* for U.S. Prime members and will share pricing for other countries at a later date,” Amazon wrote in a blog, in September, announcing the plans to bring ads on Prime Video.
English (US) ·