Pay more or watch ads: Amazon Prime Video to have a major update next year
- By Web Desk -
- Sep 25, 2023
Following the suit of streaming rivals, Amazon Inc. is all set to roll out commercial ads in its Prime Video content.
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Among the last ones of mainstream streaming services to do so, Amazon Prime Video is now ready to follow the pioneers and other streaming rivals including Netflix and Disney+ in rolling out adverts, in order to tackle the decrease in subscriber growth and to get more cash to invest in creating original shows and films.
As per the announcement made on Friday, the company will initially start by introducing ads in the US, the UK, Germany and Canada in early 2024, whereas, the unwanted feature will follow in France, Italy, Spain, Mexico and Australia later the same year.
“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,” the company said.
As per the initial announcement, the ad-free tier will cost $2.99 per month in the US, in addition to a basic Prime subscription of $14.99 per month, or $139 per year, while the pricing for other countries will be revealed soon.
Amazon also maintained that the ads will be fewer than other streaming portals and traditional TV channels and added that it would not raise prices in 2024 for the current Prime membership plan.
It is pertinent to note here that Amazon Prime Video is currently the third-largest streaming platform in the US, following YouTube and Netflix, with 157.3 million subscribers.