(Photo: Prime Video)
Prime Video is making a significant change to its service in January. Viewers will start to see commercials during the streaming services’ programming, like Reacher and The Boys.
Prime Video sent the details to its members about the change:
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. We aim to have meaningfully fewer ads than linear TV and other streaming TV providers.
No action is required from you, and there is no change to the current price of your Prime membership. We will also offer a new ad-free option for an additional $2.99 per month.
The service notes that, even if a subscriber pays the additional $2.99, “live event content such as sports, and content offered through Amazon Freevee will continue to include advertising.”
Of course, commercials showing on streaming services are not new. Hulu, Netflix, and others all have ad-supported tiers for their subscribers.
What do you think? Are you a Prime Video subscriber? Are you upset about the addition of ads to its programming? Will you pay the additional fee to avoid seeing ads on Prime?
Not really fond of ads coming to Prime! The price on Prime just went up around a year ago, now you want another $40.00 per year! Not acceptable I just won’t watch. Can’t find half the shows Prime says it has anyway!
I’m already paying $139 a year! This is robbery. I’m definitely not paying more for what I should already be getting.
I turned to streaming to avoid commercials. Now they want membership fees plus commercials? I knew these streaming services would screw their audiences at some point and here it is. Not sure what I will do yet but cancellation is a strong option.
Yes I’m really upset that you are now going to start ads on while we pay to have your streaming !!! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH !!!!!
Give us our peace of mind !!! That was the main reason why we got Prime so that we would be rid of those stupid commercials !! I don’t need an ad to tell me that I should get their product !! If and when I need something, I go out and get it !! I certainly don’t need their ad to tell me I want their product !!
I’m considering droping Prime now !!
I already get dozens of emails on how I am not using my Prime benefits because I don’t listen to their streaming music service or download their ebooks, I would trade those services that I never use to keep my pricing where it is.
Better not be like Freevee (but it will be).
Ads are poorly placed (middle of scenes/dialog). And if you hit rewind (back 10/30 seconds) to try to hear/see what you missed, you have to watch the commercials again.
And yes, they even mess up ad placement in TV shows……you know, where the commercial breaks are already built in by the networks. ugghh.
I am already paying for Prime Video to be ad-free, to the tune 0f $139. And now Amazon wants to double dip by being paid by advertisers. GREED.
..and when the ad’s begins, I will cancel my subscription…..
Sucks big time. Especially since the Prime membership rates went up already