Amazon Prime Video subscribers in the UK will now see advertisements during their streaming experience, unless they pay an additional £2.99 per month to remove them. The change took effect on 5 February 2024, following a similar rollout in the US a week earlier.
Amazon confirmed that adverts will play before, during, and after TV shows and movies, with the company stating it aims to have 'meaningfully fewer ads than linear TV and other streaming TV providers.' The move follows Netflix and Disney+, which introduced cheaper ad-supported tiers rather than making ads the default.
UK customers have expressed outrage on social media, with some threatening to cancel their subscriptions. One user wrote: 'I pay over £100 for prime as it is and will be cancelling it when my subscription runs out.' The annual Prime subscription remains at £95, with the ad-free option costing an extra £35.88 per year.
To remove ads, subscribers must go to their 'Account & Settings' page and select 'Go Ad Free.' However, Amazon notes that some promotional trailers before movies or TV shows may still appear, though they will be skippable with the paid ad-free subscription.
