Streaming services – which once prided themselves on being an ad-free option for regular TV – are now increasingly offering ad-supported versions of themselves at the price of a regular subscription, while the cost of an ad-free subscription is rising.
It’s not proven to be a popular option, but it makes money, and so Amazon Prime Video is now jumping on the bandwagon. Starting Jan. 29, ads will be on the cheapest version of the service in the U.S. and Canada, while in the U.K. and Germany we get a full week until ads start on Feb. 5.
If you want to ditch the ads, you have to pay an extra £2.99 per month, which is a bit of a short straw for us in the UK, since in other currencies the increase remains at 2.99, meaning we’re technically paying more for the same service.
Thanks, BBC.