Amazon Prime Video has long been heralded for its ad-free streaming experience, offering customers a sanctuary away from the barrage of commercials that interrupt programming on traditional broadcast and cable networks. But that changes on January 29th, when Prime Video will introduce advertisements into its content library for the first time.

In an email sent to Prime members this week, Amazon dropped the news that ads will soon infiltrate the video streaming service to which over 200 million people subscribe globally. The company framed it as a necessary step to “continue investing in compelling content” instead of a shameless money grab designed to juice revenues.

“We aim to have meaningfully fewer ads than linear TV and other streaming TV providers,” Amazon stated, trying to soften the blow by assuring customers the commercial breaks won’t be as frequent as those on Netflix or Hulu. “No action is required from you, and there is no change to the current price of your Prime membership.”

But there is a change coming to customer wallets if they still want an ad-free experience: paying an additional $2.99 monthly subscription fee. So for those already paying $14.99 per month for Prime, it’ll cost nearly $18 moving forward to avoid watching ads for paper towels, cleaning products, medications and other items peddled to help Amazon reap more rewards through its advertising division.

The same surcharge for ad-free viewing applies to standalone Prime Video subscribers, pushing their monthly rate from $8.99 up to nearly $12. Either way, it’s a rate hike that serves Amazon’s corporate interests over its loyal customers.

The rest of the company’s email to Prime members mostly summarized the many benefits of the service — free fast shipping, discounts at Whole Foods, access to Prime Day deals, etc. — in what seemed a blatant attempt to prevent frustration over ads from bubbling over into subscription cancellations.

But for many longtime Prime subscribers who have grown accustomed to watching their favorite shows and movies uninterruptedly, ads JUMPING onto the screen come January 29th will still feel like an invasion. A disruption to the streaming sanctuary Amazon Prime Video once provided, is now tainted by advertising aiming to sell more products to its loyal viewers.

Amazon’s full email ⤵

Dear Prime member, 

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.

Prime is a very compelling value. Prime members enjoy a wide range of shopping, savings, and entertainment benefits, including: 

– More than 300 million items are available with free Prime shipping and tens of millions of the most popular items are available with free Same-Day or One-Day Delivery.

– Access to exclusive and broad streaming video content (including Prime Video exclusives like The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, The Boys,Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Citadel, The Wheel of Time, Reacher, and The Summer I Turned Pretty, as well as blockbuster movies such as Air, Creed III, Dungeons & Dragons, Candy Cane Lane with Eddie Murphy, and exclusive live sports including NFL Thursday Night Football).

– Access to Prime Video Channels, which provides an unmatched selection of subscription channels like Max, Paramount+ with SHOWTIME, BET+, MGM+, ViX+, Crunchyroll, PBS KIDS, NBA League Pass, MLB.TV, and STARZ—with no extra apps to download, and no cable required. Customers only pay for the ones they want, and can cancel anytime.

– The ability to use your Prime shopping benefits—like fast, free delivery, a seamless checkout experience, 24/7 live chat support, and hassle-free returns—on online stores beyond Amazon.com with Buy with Prime.

– Exclusive deals and shopping events like Prime Day.

– Ad-free listening of 100 million songs and millions of podcast episodes with Amazon Music.

– Prescription medications as low as $1 per month and fast, free shipping from Amazon Pharmacy.

– Access to unlimited eligible generic prescription medications for only $5 per month (including free shipping) with RxPass from Amazon Pharmacy.

– High-quality health care from One Medical for only $9 per month (or $99 annually), with the option to add up to five additional memberships for the family for only $6 per month (or $66 annually) each. 

– Free two-hour Fresh grocery delivery on orders over $100 (and delivery charges between $6.95 to $9.95 for orders less than $100), and in-store savings on select groceries at Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods Market stores across the U.S.

– Unlimited photo storage with Amazon Photos.

– Gaming benefits with Prime Gaming. 

– More than 3,000 books and magazines with Prime Reading.

– A free, one-year Grubhub+ membership trial valued at $120 per year, offering unlimited $0 delivery fees on orders over $12.

And, you can expect additional features and programs added in the future for our Prime members.

As mentioned above, no action is required from you. If you wish to sign up for the ad-free option, you can click here. And, as always, if you have questions about your Prime membership, you can manage your account here.

Thank you for being a valued member of Amazon Prime.

Sincerely, 
The Amazon Prime team

Related /

• Amazon Prime Video to introduce ads or offer an ad-free option for $2.99 monthly
• Amazon is considering ad-supported tier for Prime Video