Amazon Prime Video users will begin seeing ads during movies and TV shows soon — unless they pay extra.
Starting Jan. 29, Amazon’s streaming service will begin to include “limited advertisements” for U.S. customers, according to a press release from the company.
Other countries will also begin seeing ads in early 2024, including the U.K., Germany and Canada. Meanwhile, Prime Video users in France, Italy, Spain, Mexico and Australia will start seeing ads later in the year.
Why is Prime Video going to start having commercials?
In a press release from September, Amazon announced that it would implement ads in order to “continue investing in compelling content and keep increasing that investment over a long period of time.”
“We aim to have meaningfully fewer ads than linear TV and other streaming TV providers,” Amazon stated.
How can I watch Prime videos without ads?
Prime Video users who want to avoid ads will have the option to pay an extra $2.99 per month for an ad-free option.
How does Amazon Prime Video compare to other streaming services’ fees?
Prime Video joins other streaming services in charging extra to avoid ads. Here’s how the cost of Amazon Prime Video without ads will compare to the costs of other streaming services, per NBC News:
- Amazon Prime Video Ad-Free (standalone): $10.99 a month.
- Amazon Prime Video Ad-Free (with Prime subscription): $16.99 a month.
- Netflix Standard: $15.49 a month.
- Disney+ Ad-Free: $13.99 a month.
- Hulu Ad-Free: $17.99 a month.
- Peacock: $11.99 a month.
- Max: $15.99 a month.