Amazon Will Launch Prime Video Plan With Ads, Report Says

Amazon is reportedly planning to launch an ad-supported tier of its Prime Video streaming service. The retail giant has been discussing various options for introducing ads to Prime Video for the past few weeks, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday.

Prime Video includes original TV shows and movies created by Amazon Studios, as well as hundreds of other titles that you can stream as part of your subscription. Prime Video subscribers can also add subscriptions to HBO, Showtime, Starz, and several other channels for an additional monthly price. There are also movies and shows that you can rent or buy on the platform.

Prime Video is included with an Amazon Prime membership, which costs $15 per month or $139 per year, or is available as a stand-alone subscription for $9 per month. CNET’s review of Prime Video says it’s a “really great bundled benefit” with a Prime membership, but it’s a weaker standalone service compared to other options like Netflix and Hulu.

Both Netflix and Disney Plus introduced ad-supported tiers for their services last year, joining most other major streaming services, such as Max (formerly HBO Max) and Hulu, which offer an ad-supported plan. Paramount Plus and Peacock are on the lower end, with ad-supported plans starting at $5 per month, while Max is on the higher end, with its ad-supported plan costing $10 per month.

It’s unclear how much the Prime Video plan with ads might cost. One option being discussed is adding ads to existing Prime Video subscribers and offering a more expensive ad-free version.

Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Amazon has experience with ad-supported streaming through Amazon Freevee. The streaming service, formerly IMDb TV, does not require a paid subscription and is supported by limited ads. Includes a mix of Amazon Originals and Freevee, as well as other movies and shows. There is also a Freevee channel for Prime Video.

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