Amazon will start showing ads on its streaming platform Prime Video in select regions in late January.
Customers of the video streaming service in the US, Canada, Germany and the UK will see ads starting Jan. 29, 2024. Later in 2024, the ads will be introduced in France, Italy, Spain, Mexico and Australia. It is unknown if and when the ads will come to Prime Video subscribers in Belgium and the Netherlands.
The ads will be in the streaming content but not in purchased or rented movies and series. According to Amazon, it is necessary to apply ads in streaming content to be able to invest more and sustain it in the longer term. Amazon stresses that the number of ads shown will be significantly lower than in regular television or other streaming services.
Ad-free premium subscription
Amazon Prime Video customers in the affected countries have already been notified of the arrival of ads via emails for some time. They can, however, continue to watch ad-free by taking the Prime Video Ad Free premium subscription. This option costs €3 or $3 more than a standard subscription.
With the introduction of ads, Amazon may want its video streaming service to generate more revenue. It is also interesting for the retail and tech giant to earn extra from ads.
Amazon Prime Video is not the only streaming service trying to increase revenue using ads. Netflix has also been pushing hard to increase revenue lately, including a crackdown on account sharing and a low-cost subscription that shows ads while streaming.
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