Amazon To Roll Out Ads On Prime Video From Jan. 29

(RTTNews) - Amazon.com plans to start streaming limited advertisements into Prime Video movies and TV shows from January 29, according to an email sent to its subscribers. Meanwhile, the tech major would charge an additional fee for keeping the service ads free.

Such ads would be meaningfully fewer than linear TV and other streaming TV providers, the company said.

According to the firm, "This will allow us to continue investing in compelling content and keep increasing that investment over a long period of time. … No action is required from you, and there is no change to the current price of your Prime membership."

Amazon Prime will continue to cost $14.99 each month or $139 annually, while an extra $2.99 per month will be charged for ad-free streaming.

Earlier, in September, the company had announced its plans to introduce limited advertisements in Prime Video content, such as shows and movies, in the U.S., U.K., Germany, and Canada in early 2024. This would be followed by France, Italy, Spain, Mexico, and Australia later in 2024.

Amazon Prime offers a wide range of shopping, savings, and entertainment benefits, including more than 300 million items with free Prime shipping. Tens of millions of the most popular items are available with free Same-Day or One-Day Delivery.

The members will have access to exclusive and broad streaming video content, including Prime Video exclusives, blockbuster movies, and exclusive live sports.

There will be access to Prime Video Channels, which provides various subscription channels like Max, Paramount+ with SHOWTIME, BET+, MGM+, ViX+, Crunchyroll, PBS KIDS, NBA League Pass, MLB.TV, and STARZ. The customers don't need to download any extra apps, and no cable is required.

According to the company, the benefits include exclusive deals and shopping events like Prime Day; ad-free listening of 100 million songs and millions of podcast episodes with Amazon Music; unlimited photo storage with Amazon Photos; prescription medications as low as $1 per month from Amazon Pharmacy; more than 3,000 books and magazines with Prime Reading; and Gaming benefits with Prime Gaming, among others.

The customers can also enjoy Prime benefits on online stores beyond Amazon.com with Buy with Prime.

Further, a free, one-year Grubhub+ membership trial valued at $120 per year is also available, offering unlimited $0 delivery fees on orders over $12.

Among other streaming services, Netflix, Disney Plus, Hulu, Max, and Paramount Plus all provide ads.