What You Need to Know About the New Ads on Prime Video

What You Need to Know About the New Ads on Prime Video

If you are a fan of Prime Video, you may have heard that Amazon is planning to introduce ads to some of its content in 2024. This may come as a surprise or a disappointment to many Prime members, who enjoy watching movies and shows without any interruptions. But before you cancel your subscription or switch to another streaming service, you may want to know more about why Amazon is adding ads, how it will affect your viewing experience, and what options you have to avoid ads. In this blog post, we will answer these questions and more, so you can make an informed decision about your Prime Video membership.

Why Amazon is adding ads

Prime Video is one of the most popular streaming services in the world, with over 200 million Prime members. It offers a vast selection of movies and series, including Amazon Originals, such as The Boys, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and The Man in the High Castle, and live sports, such as NFL Thursday Night Football and Premier League. Prime Video also competes with other streaming giants, such as Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+, which have their own exclusive content and loyal fan bases.

To keep up with the demand and the competition, Amazon needs to invest a lot of money in creating and acquiring
more content. According to Variety, Amazon spent about $11 billion on video and music content in 2020, up from $7.8 billion in 2019. That’s a 41% increase in one year. And Amazon is not planning to slow down anytime soon. In fact, it recently announced that it will acquire MGM Studios for $8.45 billion, adding more than 4,000 films and 17,000 TV shows to its library.

But how does Amazon pay for all this content? Well, one way is by charging Prime members a monthly or annual fee for their membership. In the U.S., a Prime membership costs $12.99 per month or $119 per year. The price may vary in other countries depending on the currency and the market. However, this fee may not be enough to cover the costs of producing and licensing content, especially as the prices of content rights keep rising.

That’s why Amazon has decided to add ads to some of its content in 2024. According to Life Hacker, Amazon says that this move is “to continue investing in compelling content and keep increasing that investment over a long period”. Amazon also says that it will have meaningfully fewer ads than linear TV and other streaming TV providers. In other words, Amazon wants to make more money from its content without losing too many customers.

How it will affect Prime members

So, how will the ads work on Prime Video? And how will they impact your viewing experience? Here are some details that you need to know:

·    The ads will start appearing in 2024 in selected countries, such as the U.S., Canada, Australia, and India. Other countries may follow later.

·       The ads will appear before and during the content, but not after. The frequency and duration of the ads will depend on the type and length of the content. For example, a movie may have one or two ad breaks, while a TV show may have more.

·       The ads will only apply to some content on Prime Video, not all of it. The exact list of ad-supported content is not yet available, but it may include some older movies and shows that are not exclusive to Prime Video.

·       The ads will be personalized based on your preferences and browsing history. You can manage your ad settings and opt out of interest-based ads through your Amazon account.

·      The ads will not affect the quality or resolution of the content. You will still be able to watch your favorite movies and shows in HD or 4K quality if they are available.

You may also wonder if you are already seeing ads on Prime Video. The answer is yes if you are watching Freevee content. Freevee is an ad-supported streaming service that is owned by Amazon. It is also known as IMDb TV or IMDb Freedive. It offers a range of movies and shows that are supported by ads. You do not need a Prime membership to access this service, but you do need an IMDb account.

You can watch Freevee content through the Prime Video app or website by looking for the “Free With Ads” label next to the title. Furthermore, you can also watch Freevee content through the IMDb TV app or website by looking for the “Watch Free” button next to the title. However, Freevee content is not the same as Prime Video content. Freevee content is not exclusive to Amazon and may be available on other streaming services. Prime Video content is exclusive to Amazon and may not be available on other streaming services.

What options do you have to avoid ads?

If you are not happy with the idea of watching ads on Prime Video, you may be wondering what options you have to avoid them. Here are some choices that you can consider:

·        Subscribe to the new ad-free option that Amazon will offer for an additional $2.99 per month for U.S. Prime members. The price may vary depending on your country. This option allows you to watch all the content on Prime Video without any ads. You can subscribe to this option through your Amazon account or through the Prime Video app or website.

·        Switch to another streaming service that does not have ads or has cheaper ad-supported plans, such as Netflix, Hulu, or Disney+. These services offer a variety of content, including original and exclusive movies and shows that may suit your tastes and preferences. However, they may not have some of the content that you enjoy on Prime Video, such as Amazon Originals and live sports. You may also need to pay more or less, depending on the service and the plan that you choose.

·        Use an ad blocker or a VPN to block or bypass the ads on Prime Video. These tools may help you to watch the content on Prime Video without any interruptions or distractions. However, they may not work for all the content or all the devices that you use to watch Prime Video. They may also violate the terms and conditions of Prime Video and result in your account being suspended or terminated.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Amazon is adding ads to some of its content on Prime Video in 2024 to continue investing in compelling content and keep increasing that investment over a long period. The ads will affect some Prime members who watch some content on Prime Video in some countries. The ads will appear before and during the content, but not after. The ads will be personalized based on your preferences and browsing history. The ads will not impact the quality or resolution of the content.

However, if you do not want to watch ads on Prime Video, you have some options to avoid them. You can subscribe to the new ad-free option that Amazon will offer for an additional fee. You can switch to another streaming service that does not have ads or has cheaper ad-supported plans. Likewise, you can use an ad blocker or a VPN to block or bypass the ads on Prime Video.

The choice is yours. You need to weigh the pros and cons of watching ads on Prime Video versus paying extra or switching to another service. You also need to share your feedback with Amazon and voice your opinions on social media. After all, you are the customer and deserve the best service possible.

We hope that this blog post has helped you to understand more about the new ads on Prime Video and what they mean to you. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below.

About the Author

This article was written by Zahid Ameen.

Zahid has a passion for helping people achieve their health and wellness goals through natural and holistic pproaches. He has been writing about health topics for over 10 years and has contributed to various online publications. You can follow him on Twitter or Facebook or visit his website at Infovian.