24 September 2023 , 19:30
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Prime Video users will soon be asked to pay more for streaming each month if they don't want to watch adverts.
Prime Video is currently available for free to all Amazon Prime members with no ads. But, following the lead of rivals at Disney+ and Netflix, ads will become the norm.
Amazon has announced that, from early 2024, users in the US must sit through ads during their favourite movies and TV shows—unless they pay an optional extra fee per month.
The firm has said that they will be introducing a new ad-free option but has not confirmed the price of this for UK subscribers just yet.
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In the US, this ad-free option has been tipped to cost $2.99 per month, which is roughly £2.50—but full details of the fee in the UK and elsewhere are yet to be announced by the company.
Prime Video is currently free to use for Amazon Prime members - but that's going to change (Amazon/Getty)Fortunately, the overall price of a Prime membership will not be increasing, so your bill will only increase if you decide to go ad-free.
In a blog post, Amazon justified the change by saying: "To continue investing in compelling content and keep increasing that investment over a long period of time, starting in 2024, Prime Video shows and movies will include limited advertisements in the UK.
"We aim to have meaningfully fewer ads than linear TV and other streaming TV providers."
Prime Video already has a few ad-supported channels through its Freevee offering. This lets you watch live streaming channels on the app for free with ads. But this new move will be the first time Prime Video in general features ads.
Netflix has also introduced ad-supported subscriptions - which typically cost less than a standard membership (SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)Netflix similarly introduced an ad-supported subscription tier last year. 'Basic with Ads' only costs £5.99 per month (compared to the £7.99 cost of a full subscription) but gives viewers access to all of Netflix's content in HD with 15-30 second long ads both during and between shows and films.
Disney+ is also introducing an ad-supported subscription tier called 'Standard with Ads', which will be made available from November 2023.