Amazon Prime Video users in the UK and Germany will soon witness ads on their streaming service as Amazon gears up to launch limited commercials from 5th February 2024.Â
However, subscribers in these regions can opt to pay £2.99 per month to enjoy an ad-free experience.
This move aligns Amazon with competitors like Disney+ and Netflix, who have already implemented cost-effective ad-supported models.
The primary objective behind this decision is to continue investing in content and bolster overall investments in the platform.
Despite the ad-free subscription, live content, particularly sports events, will retain advertisements.
The rollout begins in the US and Canada on 29th January, with plans for a global expansion later in 2024.
Interestingly, there’s a discrepancy in ad-free pricing: UK users will pay £2.99, while customers in Germany will be charged €2.99, and US subscribers will pay $2.99.
Amazon Prime’s subscription encompasses perks such as expedited one-day product deliveries and access to their streaming library.
The last Amazon Prime price hike occurred in 2022.
In addition to this development, Amazon has teased upcoming content plans, including renewals of popular series like Leverage: Redemption and The Boys, collaborations like Warhammer 40,000 featuring Henry Cavill, and forthcoming adaptations based on the renowned video game Fallout.
This follows Disney+’s recent expansion of its ad-supported service to the UK in August 2023 and Netflix’s introduction of a “basic with ads” streaming plan back in 2022.