Amazon has confirmed that ads are coming to Prime Video early next year. What’s more, Amazon confirmed all existing Prime Video subscribers are currently on the ad-supported plan and will need to pay more each month to remove the ads.
Normally, when a streaming service launches an ad-supported tier, it is usually introduced as a cheaper option. While a price increase sometimes happens around the same time, new ad-supported plans are usually something that existing subscribers have to change over to.
That is not what’s happening with Prime Video. At least, not according to Amazon, and for those that get Prime Video as a benefit of Prime membership. Instead, Amazon has confirmed that it is not making changes in 2024 to the current price of Prime membership and existing subscribers wanting an ad-free viewing experience will need to pay an additional $2.99 a month.
Essentially, all existing Prime Video subscribers are currently signed up to what will be the ‘with ads’ plan. Speaking of which, the introduction of ads will take place in early 2024 in the U.S., U.K., Germany, and Canada. Later that year, ads will also be introduced to Prime Video in France, Italy, Spain, Mexico, and Australia.
Existing subscribers will be emailed ahead of the time to ensure they are aware of the change, and with instructions on how they can upgrade to the new ad-free tier for an additional $2.99 a month.
In terms of the ads, it looks like Amazon is trying to ensure they are not any more intrusive than they need to be. According to Amazon, its “limited advertisements” will result in “fewer ads than linear TV and other streaming TV providers.”
Leave a Reply