Amazon is set to make a MAJOR change to Prime Video next week - and users are threatening to cancel their accounts over it

11 months ago 18

There is only one week left to enjoy ad-free viewing on Amazon Prime Video.

Adverts will finally be arriving on Amazon Prime from next week and users who want to avoid them will be slapped with extra costs.

From February 5, Amazon Prime Video subscribers in the UK will start getting ads as part of their streaming service.

Those who don't want ads interrupting their chosen content will have to pay an extra £2.99 per month.

Subscribers have already slammed the move as 'greedy' on social media, with many even threatening to cancel their accounts over the change.

Amazon Prime Video users will soon have to endure adverts on shows and movies unless they subscribe for an ad-free tier at a higher cost

Amazon announced the decision back in September to bring adverts to its streaming platform but only released the dates in December last year.

Amazon Prime Video is one of the products that customers get when they subscribe to Amazon Prime, the tech giant's paid subscription service.

Amazon said it won't be making changes to the current price of Prime, so customers who don't mind seeing ads when they're watching Prime Video won't have to pay more money.

However, for those customers who don't want to see ads, they will have to pay an extra fee – £2.99 per month.

Social media users have already reacted with outrage to the change, taking to social media to blast the decision as 'greedy'.

One commenter wrote: 'Prime video now has ads?? Why are you so greedy?'

'I'm disappointed to hear that Amazon Prime Video is introducing ads. It's a paid subscription service, and I expect and add free experience', wrote another.

While another furious commenter wrote: 'What's the ******* point of @amazon prime if they're going to start including ads?!

'Now we have to pay extra money to have it back the way it was?'

On X, formerly Twitter, Amazon Prime subscribers have reacted with fury to the change, slamming it as 'greedy'

With ads set to roll out across the paid subscription service, some social media users began to question why it was worth paying for.

This led one to question: 'What's so Prime about that?'

Other subscribers have gone further, taking to social media to say that they would be cancelling their subscriptions rather than face adverts.

'It's happening! Amazon Prime Video nickel and diming. Time to cancel', wrote one commenter on X.

Another wrote: 'Rather than pay an additional $36 a year to get rid of them [ads], I'll be watching less Prime Video. Way to go, Amazon'.

One social media user even said they would 'make it a point to boycott every product that interrupts my viewing.'

Some Amazon Prime Video subscribers were so outraged by the decision that they took to social media to say they would be cancelling their subscriptions and called on others to do the same.

Amazon announced that the changes would be coming in an email sent to existing Amazon Prime Video subscribers.

But the date in the email was different depending on where the recipient was based – January 29 for US users and February 5 for UK users.

In the email, the company wrote: '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.'

Ads will come to Amazon Prime Video in other countries later in 2024, including France, Italy, Spain, Mexico and Australia.

With Amazon Prime Video set to roll out ads next week, some subscribers have begun to question why it is worth paying for the service

Amazon's move follows rivals Netflix and Disney+, both of which have rolled out ads to their cheapest subscription options in the past year

Amazon is just one company trying to maximize income from its video streaming service, as both Netflix and Disney+ have recently introduced ads, which bring in millions of dollars from advertisers.

Netflix's ad-supported tier – 'Basic with adverts' – launched in November 2022 and it was originally an alternative option to the existing 'Basic' tier for £6.99.

However, earlier this year Netflix got rid of this Basic tier – which didn't show ads – in an attempt to force users towards the ad option.

Disney+ followed suit by introducing an ad tier, first for US users in December 2022, and then in the UK and eight other European countries this November.

Disney+ also announced a crackdown on password sharing, following a similar move from Netflix.

Ads on Netflix and Disney+ last an average of four minutes per hour, so the fact Amazon promises 'meaningfully fewer ads' suggests this will be less on Prime Video.