AMAZON Prime Video is reportedly set to increase the number of ads you see on your screen while streaming TV shows and movies.
But that’s only if you don’t pay the extra £2.99/$3.99 fee to remove them entirely.
The tech and retail behemoth is understood to be rolling out more adverts on its streaming service in the new year, according to the Financial Times.
It’s unclear just how much the volume will grow.
In a statement to the FT, the company said it started with a “very light load” as a “gentle entry” when it rolled out ads in January.
While a controversial move at the time, it followed Netflix – a trend setter in the industry – which introduced ads in November 2022.
And although viewers complain about ads when they roll out, people continue to subscribe.
According to Amazon, the ad-funded version of Prime Video is watched by 19million people in the UK and 100million viewers in the US.
Just last week, consumers were up in arms about fellow tech giant LG issuing a software update to TVs that pinned adverts to screens when they are idle.
Amazon Fire TV users were similarly outraged in November last year when a new update introduced full-screen video ads that play automatically as soon as the telly is turned on.
Unlike streaming apps, there are free ways to switch off or tone down the ads that originate from your smart TV or streaming device.
But to get rid of ads on the likes of Prime Video, you’ll have to pay the price: the additional monthly fee of £2.99/$3.99.
Analysis by Millie Turner, Senior Technology and Science Reporter
There is little escaping adverts these days.
That is, unless you become an off-grid hermit and switch off from the tech world completely.
Whether it’s YouTube banning ad-blockers, Netflix and Disney+ introducing ads to their cheapest subscriptions, or Amazon Fire TV adverts growing in size, there’s always a Big Tech company trying to monopolise your eyeballs.
Ads appearing on smart TVs as part of new software updates are becoming increasingly common.
TVs are not devices that are replaced often, so instead of trying to sell the gadgets to uninterested buyers, companies like LG, Samsung, Roku, and Vizio are seeking recurring revenue from already-sold TVs.
And this comes in the form of targeted ad sales.
Any company introducing more ads is going to be met with a giant “huff” from its customer base.
But I don’t think it’s the ads themselves that frustrate customers most.
Many of us have grown immune to digital advertisements after decades of watching companies jump and wave for our attention.
It’s their retroactive introduction that leaves the sour taste in consumers mouths.
It muddies the metaphorical contract you agree to when purchasing an item: that it’s going to be what you bought, sort of, forever?
And when the changes, when a company decides they want a little bit more of you, and you have no choice but to agree – that’s where the seed of resentment grows.
