As we start 2024, Amazon is continuing its dive into all things ads on the Fire TV and Prime Video to drive up revenue. Late last year, Amazon added ads when you start your Fire TV. Later this month, Amazon will default all Prime Video customers to a new ad version unless they pay extra.
That raises questions, such as how many ads will be shown, and will this push away customers? Amazon has confirmed that on January 29, 2024, they will add ads to its Prime Video service.
“We are writing to you today about an upcoming change to your Prime Video experience. Starting January 29, Prime Video movies and TV shows will include limited advertisements. This will allow us to continue investing in compelling content and keep increasing that investment over a long period of time. We aim to have meaningfully fewer ads than linear TV and other streaming TV providers. No action is required from you, and there is no change to the current price of your Prime membership. We will also offer a new ad-free option for an additional $2.99 per month* that you can sign up for here.”
Last November, Amazon quietly started to add full-screen video ads that will play when you start your Fire TV unless you quickly perform an action on it.
This new update is still rolling out to all Fire TVs made in 2016 or after. With this update, the ad at the top of your Fire TV will now play full screen, often promoting a movie or TV show. By hitting the Home button, you can quickly exit the ad, or if you quickly perform an action on the Fire TV, you will avoid the video ad, but you only have a few seconds.
“Our focus is on delivering an immersive experience so customers can enjoy their favorite TV shows and movies, as well as browse and discover more content they’ll want to watch. We’re always working to make the Fire TV experience better for customers and have updated one of the prominent placements in the UI to play a short content preview if no other action is taken by a customer upon turning on their Fire TV,” Amazon said in a statement to Cord Cutters News.
When and where will Amazon add ads to Amazon Prime Video?
The ads will be added to movies and TV shows starting in January 2024 in the U.S., U.K., Germany, and Canada, followed by France, Italy, Spain, Mexico, and Australia later in the year. Amazon says its ads will be “meaningfully fewer” compared to what you would see on cable TV.
How can you keep the commercial-free experience you have now on Prime Video?
Amazon says if you want commercial-free Prime Video, it will cost you an extra $2.99 per month starting the end of January. How can you sign up for that option? Amazon says weeks before the ads roll out, they will email all customers about the change. That email will include information on how to add the new $2.99 a month fee for commercial free.
Why is Amazon adding ads to Prime Video?
All we know is what Amazon said here:
“To continue investing in compelling content and keep increasing that investment over a long period of time, starting in early 2024, Prime Video shows and movies will include limited advertisements. We aim to have meaningfully fewer ads than linear TV and other streaming TV providers. Ads in Prime Video content will be introduced in the U.S., U.K., Germany, and Canada in early 2024, followed by France, Italy, Spain, Mexico, and Australia later in the year. No action is required for Prime members. We’re not making changes in 2024 to the current price of Prime membership. We will also offer a new ad-free option for an additional $2.99 per month* for U.S. Prime members and will share pricing for other countries at a later date. We will email Prime members several weeks before ads are introduced into Prime Video with information on how to sign up for the ad-free option if they would like,” Amazon said in a statement on its website.
For now, that is all we know. As we get closer, and Amazon announces a start date along with any other details, we will have full coverage.
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