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Just about every streaming service has an ad-free version that costs money and that will now include Amazon’s Prime Video. The service currently doesn’t have ads other than quick little commercials for its own shows just before a show starts. These are usually about 10-30 seconds in length.
It’s also currently a free feature of Prime Video. Which for most people is wrapped in their Amazon Prime membership. But that’s going to be changing and users will eventually have to pay an extra $3 a month to keep viewing shows and movies with no ads. Even Disney+ has ads in its streaming content and Netflix started offering a cheaper ad-supported tier in late 2022. So, an ad-supported option is now the norm in the world of streaming.
The ad-free price bump will impact Prime subscribers and those who pay only for Prime Video. Basically, there’s no getting around paying for the opportunity to not have ads. You either pay for it, or you watch the ads. For those who subscribe to Prime, expect your monthly membership to go up by $3 unless you don’t want the ads. If you pay for Prime Video only, then your monthly price will be going up from $8.99 to $11.99.
Prime Video will charge for ad-free viewing in 2024
There doesn’t appear to be an exact date yet but the ad-supported Prime Video and the charge for ad-free viewing will be arriving sometime in 2024 according to The Streamable, which cites Amazon’s CEO Andy Jassy from today’s Amazon earnings call. Interestingly, Prime Video is the number two reason that people sign up for Prime memberships, Jassy says.
The price for ad-free will be happening earlier in the year so it will most likely show up within the first few months. And now that the cost has been announced officially, people should expect to see emails from Amazon mentioning this change. And when it’ll arrive exactly.