If other streaming services have commercials, why can’t Amazon? Prime Video is just the latest streamer to announce it will introduce ad-supported and ad-free tiers, making Prime Video more like if you paid for Freevee. (Payme?) After months of speculation and testing, Amazon announced in September that the “limited advertisements,†launching in early 2024, will help it to “continue investing in compelling content and keep increasing that investment over a long period of time.†Translation: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power ain’t cheap. (Nor is maintaining multiple streaming services!)
Now, Amazon has announced that the official rollout date is set for January 29. The ads will go into effect for users in the U.S., U.K., Germany, and Canada then, before expanding to France, Italy, Spain, Mexico, and Australia later in the year — unless you decide to opt into an ad-free tier, which will cost an additional $2.99 a month. But don’t worry: Either tier will still get you access to Prime Day. Cheers!
This post has been updated.