Amazon Prime Video will include ads during shows and movies from early next year, the streaming giant confirmed on September 22. Ads in Prime Video content will initially launch in early 2024 in countries including the US, UK, Germany and Canada. Prime Video users in France, Italy, Spain and Mexico will start seeing ads later next year. Amazon has also introduced a new ad-free option. Amazon Prime members in the US can pay $2.99 (approximately Rs. 200) per month to access ad-free services. Amazon Prime Video’s latest move follows the launch of similar plans by rivals Netflix and Walt Disney.
Starting early next year, Amazon plans to add limited ads to Prime Video movies and shows, the company announced in an official release on Friday. The company says the move is to “continue to invest in compelling content and continue to increase that investment over a long period of time.” Prime Video subscribers in the US and those in the UK, Germany and Canada will start seeing ads early next year. Prime Video users in France, Italy, Spain and Mexico will start seeing ads later that year.
Prime Video users in the US can purchase an ad-free option for an additional cost of $2.99 per month. Amazon says it will share prices for other countries at a later date.
For users in the US, Amazon said it will send an email to Prime members several weeks before ads are introduced to its programs with details on how to sign up for the ad-free option if they wish. Amazon says it aims to have “meaningfully fewer” ads than linear TV and other streaming TV providers.
Amazon’s new initiative to include commercials in movies and shows isn’t the first of its kind in streaming. Amazon’s biggest rivals in the market, Netflix and Disney+, also previously launched similar ad-supported services.
Amazon Prime Video membership currently costs $8.99 (approximately Rs. 600) per month in the US. Amazon currently charges Rs. 1,499 per year for Prime membership, Rs. 599 for three months, and Rs. 299 per month in India.