Yesterday Amazon announced that next year it will be adding commercials to its base Prime Video plan. Now if you want to continue to get the commercial-free experience you have now, you will have to pay extra.
Since this announcement we got a lot of questions from our readers, so today we want to take a minute and answer many of the most common questions we have seen about this change.
When and where will Amazon add commercials to Amazon Prime Video?
The commercials will be added to movies and TV shows starting in early 2024 in 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” commercials 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 next year. So how will you signup for that option? Amazon says weeks before the commercials 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.
So why is Amazon adding commercials 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.