Starting from January 29th, 2024, Prime Video will introduce limited advertisements to its streaming service, Amazon announced today.
The company had previously revealed its plans to show ads on Prime Video, but the exact date of the change was not known until now.
Amazon said that the reason for adding ads to Prime Video was to,
“continue investing in compelling content and keep increasing that investment over a long period of time.”
However, for those who prefer an ad-free viewing experience, they will have to pay an extra $2.99 a month to opt out of ads.
Starting from Jan. 29, all current Prime Video users will default to the ‘with ads’ option, but they can choose to pay more to remove the ads at any time.
Now, the burning question: how intrusive will these ads be?
Well, Amazon did not specify how frequent or intrusive the ads will be, but it claimed that the ad load will be significantly lighter than what we’re used to on traditional TV or even other streaming platforms.
They promise “meaningfully fewer ads,” suggesting strategically placed breaks that won’t disrupt the flow of your favorite shows.
In Amazon’s own words,
“we aim to have meaningfully fewer ads than linear TV and other streaming TV providers.”
Even after paying for the ad-free Prime Video, some content will still have ads, as it does currently. For instance, ads will still appear during live events and content, such as sports, as well as when watching any of the Amazon Freevee content available on Prime Video.
Now, creators get more money, but viewers face a decision.
Are you okay with some ads for more content options? Or will you pay more to protect your viewing experience like a dragon guarding popcorn?
Abdur Rahman is a seasoned journalist who covers all things related to TV and streaming. As of May 2, 2023, Abdur is writing for Homespoiler.com. More about him