Amazon Prime Video to start showing adverts

Amazon has announced they plan to introduce adverts into Prime Video for all UK customers from 5th February 2024.

Both movies and TV shows on Prime will start to get broken up by ads from this date, although Amazon say adverts will be "fewer than linear TV and other streaming TV providers".

Customers will be able to avoid ads on Amazon Prime, but it will cost an extra £2.99 per month, with the ability to pre-order to ensure no interruption to their service.

Prime Video adverts

Previously announced back in September 2023, Amazon intend to add adverts to content on Prime Video in the UK from February 5th, 2024.

Customers on existing Prime and Prime Video plans will continue to pay the same price, although they'll start to see adverts within both movies and TV shows.

Those who want to avoid adverts can pre-order registration for the ad-free plan, which costs an extra £2.99 per month. Customers signing up won't be charged until 5th February 2024 and will avoid any interruptions in their service.

Amazon say in their update on the changes that movies and TV shows will start to include limited advertisements starting in 2024. They say they "aim to have meaningfully fewer ads than linear TV and other streaming TV providers", although there's no indication who they're comparing themselves with.

The move follows streaming rival Netflix who introduced a lower cost plan with ads in October 2022, and have since removed the cheapest ad-free Basic plan, increasing prices for new customers to £10.99 per month for ad-free viewing.

Streaming ads

Amazon Prime is the latest in a list of streaming providers to introduce tiered plans with ad and ad-free options.

Disney Plus, Netflix, and Paramount Plus, all offer cheaper 'with ads' package options, although these are generally priced lower than their previous existing membership levels.

That makes Amazon stand out a little bit, as customers are pushed to pay extra to avoid adverts, while Disney Plus and Netflix created cheaper plans for those willing to watch ads.

Pay TV providers also often show adverts, with both premium TV services Sky and Virgin Media having ads on their platform, and while ad-skipping options are available these don't remove ads entirely.

Overall, while adverts are becoming more common among streaming platforms, it's a shame to see Amazon charging existing customers more to avoid adverts.

Pay TV providers

Amazon Prime is supported by the main pay TV platforms including Sky, Virgin Media, and BT TV, and is one of the most widely supported apps on smart TVs.

These changes will apply to all customers regardless of how they watch Amazon Prime Video.

However, unlike Netflix which is more commonly integrated within contracts, Amazon Prime tends to only be available as a standalone subscription, which means customers should be able to cancel if they don't want to be subject to adverts or pay the extra to stay ad-free.

That said, Amazon have been keen to point out the benefits of Prime, including free one-day delivery, as well as free access to Amazon Music, access to Prime Reading, Prime Gaming, plus money-off Amazon Music Unlimited and Audible.

Read more on Netflix vs Amazon Prime.