Nobody likes ads, especially when you’re trying to watch a new series or movie on Amazon Prime Video. Here’s how to avoid ads and how much it will cost you.
Streaming platforms should be a luxury, because viewers no longer need to settle for a cable box or spend exorbitant amounts of money to go to the movies; the popcorn alone can put a dent in your bank account. Best of all, most streaming platforms offer ad-free subscription plans.
Prime Video is one of the best platforms, especially with hits like Reacher, Hazbin Hotel and movies like Saltburn. However, fans were left with a bitter taste in their mouths after this latest decision.
Amazon is now asking subscribers to pay a fee to stop seeing ads. Here’s everything you need to know and how to keep watching.
Amazon Prime Video charges new fee for ad-free streaming
Amazon subscribers will be forced to pay an additional $2.99 each month, starting now, for an ad-free subscription to Prime Video.
Subscribers were notified in December that some changes would be made to their bills in order to stay ad-free. But that didn’t stop the outrage when they received emails informing them of the new $2.99 price increase (on top of the current $14.99 monthly bill) to get rid of the ads, according to CABLE.
The official email said: “Starting January 29, Prime Video movies and TV shows will include limited ads. This will allow us to continue to invest in compelling content and grow that investment over a long period of time. Our goal is to have significantly fewer ads than linear TV and other streaming TV providers.”
But the damage is already done, as many subscribers want to cancel their subscription. If you opt to remove ads, your subscription will cost you $216 per year if you pay monthly, or $175 for an annual plan.
The new ad fees are another wake-up call after several price hikes. Subscribers have the option to switch to an ad-free plan, but to save a few bucks, they should try to enjoy a movie marathon with endless commercials.
The new direction brings back memories of the days of cable TV, when commercials would interrupt the climax of a movie or stop a TV episode at the worst possible moment. But these days, no one wants to watch commercials, especially when paying for a subscription. But Amazon Prime Video has joined the recent wave of price hikes from Netflix, Peacock, HBO Max and more.
Its price is now about the same as other ad-free subscriptions: HBO Max costs $20 per month without ads, Netflix can cost upwards of $15, and Peacock’s plan costs double the regular price at $12.
