Fans online have been reacting angrily to news that from February, Amazon Prime Video will introduce a price hike if they want to watch content on the platform ad-free.
Subscribers to Prime Video today (January 3) received an email titled ‘An update on Prime Video’ in which they were told about changes to their “Prime Video experience” which will take effect just over one month from now. The changes were first announced by the company last September.
From February 5, Prime Video will include what the company describe as “limited advertisements”. The company added: “this will allow us to continue investing in compelling content and keep increasing that investment over a long period of time.”
They continued: “We aim to have meaningfully fewer ads than ad supported TV channels and other streaming TV providers. No action is required from you, and there is no change to the current price of your Prime membership.”
If viewers want an free experience, however, they will have to pay a further £2.99 per month.
On social media, fans have been reacting angrily to the news describing it as “disgusting” and “outrageous” with many now saying they will cancel their subscription in response.
One user wrote on social media: “I cancelled #AmazonPrime within seconds of receiving this fucking farcical email. As if I’m gonna pay the price hike, again! Last year’s raise was bad enough, but ads are a step too far.”
Another user added: “So adding adverts and then charging for an ad-free option for an additional £2.99 per month to existing subscriptions is disgusting” while a third added: “I refuse to give them any more money than I already have.”
You can see some more of the reactions here:
Hey @amazon, So adding adverts and then charging for an ad-free option for an additional £2.99 per month to existing subscriptions is disgusting. cc @AmazonHelp @PrimeVideo #AmazonPrime
— Alan (@alantucker) January 3, 2024
I cancelled #AmazonPrime within seconds of receiving this fucking farcical email.
As if I’m gonna pay the price hike, again! Last year’s raise was bad enough, but ads are a step too far for their already shitty programming, and don’t even get me started on the delivery decline! pic.twitter.com/6jilSwBSvy
— 📚Corrie Tait📚 (@corrietait_) January 3, 2024
Just received this email from #AmazonPrime. Last August I paid £95 for a 1 year subscription, which had already increased from £79 the year before. @amazon are one the biggest companies in the world and I refuse to give them any more money than I already have. pic.twitter.com/5ExN8EDkG8
— Laura Jean Healey 🎥🎬📽🎭 (@LauraJeanHealey) January 3, 2024
And this is why I cancelled last week.
This’ll bring the cost of #AmazonPrime to well over £130 pa.
Fuck that noise, you scamming bastards! pic.twitter.com/aksRuBSjI5
— cevni.bsky.social (@Cevni) January 3, 2024
Well… looks like #AmazonPrime #PrimeVideo is going to introduce ads. We have gone full circle.
Tell you what, take £2.99 off my prime membership and remove the video option all together. pic.twitter.com/oJLA9rofLw
— Mark McGookin – markmcgookin.bsky.social (@mark_mcgookin) January 3, 2024
Well that’s another subscription saved. I subscribe to #AmazonPrime so I don’t need to watch adverts but after that email, I’m out… pic.twitter.com/QSkfKtgfAv
— Muzzer Daftbat 🦩 (@muzzer_daftbat) January 3, 2024
The point of subscription TV is that the programming is funded by subscriptions, not ads.
Ad free with subscription, or free with ads… but subscription AND ads? That is not the model for me
🤷🏻♂️#AmazonPrime
— lucky mcluckie (@luckymcluckie) January 3, 2024
‘no action is required from you’! Oh but there is @amazonuk How about I’ve just ‘actioned’ a cancellation of my prime membership because you’re going to start showing ads unless I pay an extra £2.99 a month. Cheeky buggers. Adiós #amazonprime pic.twitter.com/KKbWrjMXLq
— Mark Swain (aka Let’s Make a Trip) ✈️🚄⛴🚌 (@Lets_makeatrip) January 3, 2024
#AmazonPrime Streaming is going to become more expensive than cable. Being charged twice for the same service is not going to work for this family. Bye #AmazonPrime
— L R deGrasse 🇺🇸🎸🐾 (@degrasse_l) January 3, 2024
#AmazonPrime Sorry, but I’ll be cancelling my subscription, as the reason I was using Amazon Prime was because there was no adverts, the only reason I pay for any streaming service. So I don’t have to put up with the adverts. And I’m very sure, I won’t be alone in cancelling.
— Ｊａｓｏｎ Ｈａｒｖｅｙ (@JasonWKHarvey) January 3, 2024
“There is no charge to the current price of your Prime Membership” unless you want to continue having the service you had actually paid for which will now cost more. Outrageous. Boycott? @amazonprimenow @PrimeVideo @AmazonUK #amazon #amazonprime #prime pic.twitter.com/GOJL5YPmIU
— Kerry O’Connell (@blondeslayer) January 3, 2024
Some of Amazon’s rival streamers, including Disney+ and Netflix, have also brought in adverts in recent months, particularly as they have struggled to hold onto customers amid growing inflation worldwide.
Data previously released by analysts Kantar showed that vast numbers of people cut back on video streaming services last year as their disposable incomes were squeezed by the cost of living crisis. Although demand picked up around Christmas, Kantar said, the number decreased again shortly after.
It found that the number of paid-for video streaming subscriptions in the UK fell by two million, from 30.5million to 28.5million.