Summary

  • Prime Video will soon feature ads, but ad-free movies and shows will still be available for an extra fee. Expect changes in early 2024.
  • Popular TV series like The Boys and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power can currently be accessed ad-free with Amazon Prime.
  • Amazon will introduce ads to movies and shows on Prime Video for base subscribers, but ad-free content will still be accessible for an additional $2.99 per month.

Amazon has announced that Prime Video content will soon include ads, but revealed ad-free movies and shows will still be available at an extra fee. Prime Video is home to many popular TV series, including The Boys and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The streaming platform is also consistently releasing new movies and TV shows, which as of now can be accessed ad-free with an Amazon Prime subscription.

But all that is about to change, as Deadline reports Amazon will be introducing ads to movies and shows on Prime Video for base subscribers of Amazon Prime - currently priced at $14.99. This change will be coming to the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and in early 2024. However, those with Prime subscriptions can still access content ad-free for an additional $2.99 per month.

The Price Increase Of Streaming Services Continue

Galadriel looking straight ahead in The Lord of the Rings The Rings of Power season 1 episode 8

Prime Video isn't the first streaming service to introduce an increased price for ad-free content this year. Recently, Disney announced Disney+ and Hulu price increases, both services jumping by $3 each. Peacock and Max have also increased their prices earlier this year, with all of these new charges setting a worrying trend for the entire streaming industry.

When Prime Video introduces its new ad-free tier, it means the only way to watch releases like The Boys season 4 without ads will be for an extra $2.99 per month. This calls into question the current profitability of streaming services since price increases seem to be the current trend among many of them. It's possible that, depending on how soon investors want to see certain services turn a profit, more price increases could come in the future.

The price increases come in the wake of original streaming movies and TV shows being removed from services like Disney+, Hulu, and Paramount+. Given the number of cost changes and content removals, it's unclear what this could mean for the future of streaming as a whole. What's concrete, though, is that Prime Video is now ing multiple other services in increasing their pricing of ad-free content moving forward.

Source: Deadline