Beginning Jan. 29, Amazon Prime and Prime Video members who enjoy ad-free streaming of shows like Reacher and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel will need to fork over an additional $3 a month to watch those programs and other shows and movies without commercials.
Amazon announced the start date in an email to customers this week. It had initially revealed plans for ads in Prime Video earlier this year.
The change “will allow us to continue investing in compelling content and keep increasing that investment over a long period of time,” Amazon said in the email. “We aim to have meaningfully fewer ads than linear TV and other streaming TV providers.”
The ad-free fee applies both to regular Amazon Prime members, who currently pay $139 a year for fast shipping and perks like Prime Video, and to folks who now pay $9 a month for a standalone subscription to Prime Video. Prime and Prime Video members can preorder the ad-free tier here.
Prime Video joins the growing number of streaming services that are modifying their offerings with ad-supported options. Last year Netflix launched a cheaper, $7 a month tier with ads, and the offering has attracted nearly 5 million subscribers. Netflix also increased the cost of its ad-free tiers. Peacock, too, has an ad-supported option and also hiked the prices of its premium subscriptions. Disney and Hulu have announced price hikes as well.
Amazon said it had no further comment beyond the email it sent users.
