Prime Video is preparing to add ads to its content starting in 2024. In this way, it will follow in the footsteps of other streaming giants such as Netflix and Disney. This measure represents a significant change in the company's strategy, which until now had focused on offering its streaming service at no additional cost to its Amazon Prime e-commerce service customers. However, after the decrease in affiliates that it has experienced in recent months, Amazon has decided to change course with the aim of looking for new sources of income.
The introduction of ads will be implemented gradually, starting in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and Canada in early 2024. It will then expand to other countries, including Spain, Mexico, France, Italy and Australia. Amazon Prime Video assures that the multitude of ads it will show will be "significantly smaller" compared to what is found on cable television and other streaming services.
For subscribers who prefer to avoid ads, Amazon Prime Video will offer an alternative ad-free subscription plan. In the United States, this option will cost an additional $2.99 per month, although specific prices for other markets, such as Spain, are still unknown. The platform intends to send emails to Prime members with information on how to migrate to the ad-free version.
With this decision, then, Amazon follows in the footsteps of Netflix, for example, which launched an ad-supported plan in November of last year, allowing users to pay less in exchange for watching ads between playing content.
Disney will also join this trend starting in November, offering a new ad-supported subscription plan at a reduced monthly price.
Currently Prime users enjoy a wide range of benefits. As the company details on its blog, these users have “fast, free delivery on hundreds of millions of items (typically delivered in 1-2 days) and same-day or next-day delivery on more than a million Of articles".
In addition, they have access to exclusive and extensive streaming content, among many other benefits, as well as access to Prime Video Channels (Max, discovery, Paramount with SHOWTIME, BET, MGM, Vix, PBS KIDS, NBA League Pass, MLB. TV, and STARZ). As the platform reminds us, in this case customers “only pay for the channels they want and can cancel at any time.”
