Social Media Is Roasting Amazon Over Prime Video Ad Plan
Amazon's Prime Video is the latest major streaming service to introduce changes to its subscription model, which will go into effect on January 29. As announced in September, the platform is set to add an ad-supported plan on top of the single ad-free tier it has historically offered for consumers to access content. The caveat is that the current price for a subscription — a stand-alone $9 monthly fee or $15 a month included with Amazon Prime — will be the tier with commercials, with users needing to pay an additional $3 a month for a no-ads plan.
Amazon's policy change has stoked some sentiments of discontent among social media users, particularly over the need to pay more to access content without ads. "I just got an email from Prime Video saying the ad[-]free service I'M ALEADY [sic] PAYING FOR will no longer be ad[-]free unless I give them an additional $3.00 per month. You greedy little f***ers. I just canceled my service," @sixfootcandy tweeted. Others echoed similar sentiments of ire toward Amazon, with @typo_cat writing, "Like Jeff Bezos isn't making enough money, right? What a load of crap."
Users think cable pricing is making an unwanted comeback
The discourse surrounding the upcharge for the ad-free tier of Amazon's Prime Video ties into a greater conversation users have long been having about the landscape of streaming in recent years. Between the introduction of ad-supported tiers to many platforms and increased pricing across the board, some feel that the current state of streaming services is frighteningly reminiscent of the era of cable packages for TV. "We are all paying much more than we used to just for cable and have to endure more ads. We've all been scammed. What a finesse by Big Tech yet again..." @BlackVishnu tweeted.
Amid the backlash, many social media users are advocating for alternative means of accessing content, from purchasing physical releases of TV shows and movies to outright digital piracy — a trend that has already been growing in the wake of several streamers like Netflix and Max removing original content from their platforms with no practical means of watching it elsewhere. "Anyone else ready to go back to physical media and cancel all streaming services? I'm so fed up with the prices and the ads. Just got an email that Prime [V]ideo will now have ads unless I pay more. I'm over it," @Emerson_B_Rose wrote.
Whatever the alternative users may or may not choose to pursue, it's clear that the policy change to Amazon's pricing is a breaking point for many subscribers. Redditor u/Frogweiser has decided that they will no longer subscribe to the service, summing up their comment with "I think this will end it for me." Meanwhile, u/neverendingchalupas is going cold turkey, stating only, "This is where I start canceling my subscriptions."