Last updated on February 22nd, 2024 at 12:53 pm

From early next year, customers in the UK, Germany, and the US will have the option to pay more for an ad-free service

Subscribers to Amazon’s Prime Video streaming service will begin encountering commercials in films and TV shows from early next year, unless they opt to pay an additional £2.99 for an ad-free experience.

The company announced that customers in the UK and Germany would start seeing “limited advertisements” in its streaming content after 5 February. Meanwhile, Prime Video users in the US can expect adverts starting from 29 January.

In contrast to rivals like Netflix and Disney, which have introduced cheaper ad-supported streaming packages to attract budget-conscious consumers amid rising household expenses, Amazon’s ad-supported tier is not cheaper. Customers will need to pay more to watch without advertisements.

The major streaming companies have restructured their business models following a post-pandemic slowdown in subscriber growth. They are now focusing on making loss-making services profitable by introducing ad-supported tiers, increasing prices, and reducing spending on content.

In an email to Prime Video members, Amazon stated that this move would enable the company to “continue investing in compelling content and to further increase investment over an extended period.”

Amazon assured that it would not overwhelm viewers with ads, noting that it would have “significantly fewer ads than ad-supported TV channels and other streaming TV providers.”

Earlier this year, the company disclosed its plans to follow its competitors and introduce advertising in countries such as the UK, US, Germany, and Canada.

Amazon’s Prime subscription, which includes access to its music and video streaming services, as well as perks like free and fast delivery on packages, is priced at £8.99 per month in the UK. The company stated that there would be no change in the price of the service next year, unless customers chose to pay the extra cost for the ad-free option.

Netflix, which started introducing its ad-supported tier in late 2022, has reported that approximately 15 million customers worldwide have subscribed to it. The streaming service offers the basic tier for £4.99 per month, which is significantly cheaper than its £10.99 standard ad-free package.

Disney+ offers its service with ads for £4.99 per month, which launched in the UK in August, or £7.99 for its standard ad-free package.