AMAZON members admit they’ve canceled their subscriptions after a controversial change to Prime Video.
Earlier this year, Amazon began showing ads on Prime Video content.
1
The only way to remove the ads is to upgrade to a higher ad-free tier, which means paying an extra $2.99 / £2.99 each month.
This sparked fury among Amazon fans, with one irate customer calling it “insane” in a post to Reddit.
They said: “This is not only about the quality of Prime Video but also the disrespect shown to subscribers that have to waste time watching garbage ads.”
One angry user replied: “I canceled Prime the same day I got my first ad on some video I was gonna watch.
Read more on Amazon
“Unskippable ad. So when Prime expires, I’ll just uninstall Prime Video.”
Another said: “We had been with Amazon for over 10 years. We canceled in September when we heard ads were coming.
“We were already paying $139, I wasn’t going to pay more money for mediocre service. We discovered Apple TV and Ted Lasso. We win!”
And one added: “Today, I’ve gone and canceled my subscription, for they’ve shown no respect for us loyal customers.”
Most read in News Tech
BAD ADS
Amazon launches ‘game changer’ Alexa gadget that works with your Ring doorbell and Fire TV Stick
The increased monthly fees to remove ads works out at nearly $36 / £36 more each year.
A regular Amazon Prime subscription typically costs $14.99 / £8.99 a month.
Some viewers in the thread also complained about the quantity and length of commercials.
“It’s not even a reasonable amount of ads,” an Amazon customer said.
“At first I was only getting ads at the beginning. Now, I watched an hour and a half kids movie with my daughter and there were six ad breaks.
“It’s infuriating and unwatchable. Amazon is basically forcing you to pay more or unsubscribe.”
And one person who replied called it “robbery”, adding: “The time wasted watching ads is much more expensive than what they charge you already. Your time should be more precious.”
ALL CHANGE
To make matters worse, Amazon recently removed support for two features from Prime Video unless you pay for an ad-free subscription.
It’s now no longer possible to enjoy Dolby Vision HDR (offering improved contrast and colors) and Dolby Atmos surround sound without paying the extra fee.
But it’s worth noting that a Prime subscription doesn’t just get you Amazon Video.
It comes with a whole host of perks, including free two-day shipping, Amazon Music, Prime Gaming for free titles and in-game perks, and much more.
Amazon justified its decision to add ads by saying it would help to fund high-quality content.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
“We start with the customer and work backwards,” said Jay Marine, Amazon’s VP of Prime Video.
“And by making this change, we’ll be able to continue to invest in more great content – like hit movies and TV shows and more live sports – and that investment will continue to grow over time to deliver an even better service for Prime members.”
