05 February 2024 , 08:51
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Amazon Prime Video users will have to pay £2.99 a month to avoid being shown adverts from today.
The streaming service is introducing ads from February 5. Amazon Prime Video costs £5.99 a month, which means your bill would rise to £8.98 - the equivalent of paying 50% more - if you want to remove adverts. Viewers can sign up to get a month free.
Full Amazon Prime members currently pay £8.99 a month, or £95 for the year upfront. This means you would be paying £11.98 a month, or £130.88 for an annual membership, to get rid of adverts.
It isn't clear when the adverts will be shown, whether it will be during the content you're watching, or only before it - however, Amazon has said it there will be “meaningfully fewer ads than ad-supported TV channels and other streaming TV providers”.
In an email to customers, Amazon said introducing adverts will “allow us to continue investing in compelling content and keep increasing that investment over a long period of time”.
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Live events, such as sports, and content offered through the Freevee service, already include adverts - and this will remain the case even if you pay to remove adverts through the new charge. Amazon Prime Video users in the US started seeing adverts from January 29.
You can cancel your Prime membership for free if you're not happy about this update. Members who haven't used any Prime services should get a full refund. If you have only used Amazon Prime delivery benefits, then you may be eligible for a partial refund. But if other services - such as Prime Video, Prime Music, or Prime Gaming - have been used, you won’t get a refund.
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It comes after Netflix added a new cheaper package with adverts in late 2022 - priced at £4.99 a month compared to £10.99 for its standard ad-free tier. Disney+ charges £4.99 a month for its package with adverts - this launched in the UK in August last year - or £7.99 for its standard ad-free tier.
The latest Amazon change comes after the online delivery giant announced a new charge for Prime members on some same-day delivery orders. The new £1.99 charge applies if your same-day delivery order comes under £20. This was introduced in September last year.