The inevitable has finally happened to Prime Video: advertising. In an email sent to Amazon Prime members today, the streaming service announced that TV shows and movies will feature “limited” advertising starting February 5th. Amazon says the move will allow the streamer to “continue to invest in compelling content and grow those investments over an extended period of time” and promises that there will be “significantly fewer ads than on ad-supported TV channels and other streaming services.” ” TV channels”. Channels.” Providers”.
Whether you like it or not, advertising on streaming services is inevitable. Netflix has them, and so does Disney+—unless you’re willing to give up the more expensive subscription tiers without them. Prime Video also offers the option to pay for the right to not see ads. It costs £2.99, which I think is excessive (and also more expensive than US customers’ bill – $2.99 equals £2.35). Amazon Prime, which includes other benefits such as next day delivery and access to music and books, currently costs £8.99 a month. If you pay to remove ads on Prime Video, this increases to £11.98.
I’m sure you know that we are in the midst of a cost of living crisis. Spending more than £10 on a streaming service is an expense that millions of people cannot afford. Many have already decided to cancel their subscription in order to feed their families or pay their energy bills.
Meanwhile, Amazon reported profits of $9.9 billion last October, up $7 billion from the previous year. I’m not sure you need more money to make the show better and that raising prices just smacks of greed. But this is Amazon. He’s always trying to get a higher profit: it’s better if it’s funded by advertisers than directly from my pocket.
Of course, advertisements are annoying and interrupt your viewing flow, trying to sell you chocolate, diapers, or even a TV series other than the one you are currently watching. But I think streaming ads are a good thing (even minus the bathroom breaks and time they provide for scrolling social media). The new payment tiers give subscribers the opportunity to pay less for a service that is only slightly different from the service they had before the ad, and could (if Amazon is to be believed) even lead to increased investment in original programming and film production. .
However, this doesn’t necessarily mean better shows, as Amazon would have us believe. Are Lord of the Rings Predecessor, Rings of PowerIt reportedly cost over a billion dollars to produce, and while it looked impressive, the plot was weak, the script clunky, and the action fast-paced.
Apart from excellent and good original content – The Swarm, The Boys, The Wilderness, I’m a Virgo, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel – A streamer usually creates a lot of hype without providing much content. It followed last year with a film adaptation of Naomi Alderman’s successful 2016 novel. Power flopped and I’d be surprised if you’ve even heard of the star-studded spy thriller Citadel, although the directors are Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas.
Prime Video has carved a niche for itself with compelling sci-fi dramas and action films based on existing franchises (Reacher based on the phenomenally successful series of novels by Lee Child, which has already been made into two films; generation V is a spin-off of its own superhero series Boys). If that’s not your thing, you’ll have a hard time finding something to watch.
Movie forecasts aren’t much better either. Any movie worth watching Burning salt AND Heaven, Yes Snopgoedlaan AND Cinderella (mediocre movie with pop star Camila Cabello). You certainly wouldn’t pay £2.99 to watch most Amazon-produced films, let’s put it that way.
The truth is that most people only use Prime Video as a by-product because they want Amazon products delivered next day – a service that certainly offers more value for money than the streamer alone. Currently, ad-free Prime Video simply isn’t worth the extra £2.99. And maybe having to sit through commercials isn’t such a bad thing. Patience is a virtue that we can all use if we practice it more often.
Source: I News
I am Harvey Rodriguez, an experienced news reporter and author with 24 News Reporters. My main areas of expertise are in entertainment and media. I have a passion for uncovering stories about the people behind the scenes that bring the entertainment world to life. I take pride in providing my readers with timely and accurate information on all aspects of the entertainment industry.