Amazon has finally revealed when ads will appear on its Prime Video subscription service.
In the US, customers will start seeing ads on January 29, but in the UK, users will see them a week later on February 5, the tech giant said.
Those who don't want ads to interrupt their chosen content will have to pay an extra $2.99/£2.99 per month – a move branded as 'greedy' by customers.
Amazon will roll out ads to users in other countries later in 2024.
Amazon's move follows rivals Netflix and Disney+, both of which have rolled out ads to their cheapest subscription options since last year.
Amazon Prime Video users will soon have to put up with ads in shows and movies unless they subscribe to an ad-free tier at a higher cost
Amazon revealed the dates when ads would arrive in an email to customers sent in recent days.
But the date in the email depended on where the recipient was located: January 29 for US users and February 5 for UK users.
“Prime Video movies and TV shows will contain a limited number of ads,” the company said in the email.
“This will allow us to continue to invest in compelling content and continue to increase that investment over a long period of time.
'We aim to have significantly fewer advertisements than linear TV and other streaming TV providers.
“No action is required from you and there will be no change to the current price of your Prime membership.”
Amazon has yet to confirm how ads will work on Prime, but they are expected to appear before and even during the content.
MailOnline has contacted Amazon for more information.
Ads will appear on Amazon Prime Video in other countries later in 2024, including France, Italy, Spain, Mexico and Australia.
Amazon announced the decision to place ads on its streaming platform in September, but has only now announced dates.
Furious Prime users took to X (Twitter) to criticize the move, with one describing it as the 'final nail' in the coffin of their subscription.
Furious Prime users took to X (Twitter) to criticize the move, with one describing it as the 'final nail' in the coffin
One
Another said: 'Amazon Prime Video's introduction of ads really validates my decision to cancel my Amazon Prime subscription this year.'
Another described Amazon executives as “clowns” who are “greedy beyond comprehension.”
Yet another said: 'Amazon Prime Video's introduction of ads really validates my decision to cancel my Amazon Prime subscription this year.'
Amazon Prime Video is one of the products customers get when they subscribe to Amazon Prime, the tech giant's paid subscription service.
Amazon said it won't make any changes to Prime's current price, so customers who don't mind seeing ads when they watch Prime Video won't have to pay more money.
However, customers who do not want to see ads will have to pay an additional fee: $2.99 or £2.99 per month.
Amazon is just one company trying to maximize revenue from its video streaming service, as both Netflix and Disney+ recently introduced ads, which bring in millions of dollars to advertisers.
Amazon's move follows rivals Netflix and Disney+, both of which have rolled out ads to their cheapest subscription options in the past year
Netflix's ad-supported tier – 'Basic with Ads' – launched in November 2022 and was originally an alternative option to the existing 'Basic' tier for £6.99.
However, earlier this year, Netflix removed this Basic tier – which didn't show ads – in an attempt to push users towards the ad option.
Disney+ followed suit by introducing an ad tier, first for US users in December 2022, and then in November in the UK and eight other European countries.
Disney+ also announced a crackdown on password sharing, following a similar move by Netflix.
Ads on Netflix and Disney+ last an average of four minutes per hour, so the fact that Amazon is promising “significantly fewer ads” suggests this will be less on Prime Video.