Starting in 2025, Amazon Prime Video will begin showing advertisements on its streaming service in India. However, users who prefer an uninterrupted viewing experience will have the option to subscribe to an ad-free plan, at a higher price.
The company reassured its current Prime members that the price of their existing Prime membership will remain unchanged in 2025.
"To continue investing in compelling content and keep increasing that investment over a long period of time, starting in 2025, Prime Video shows and movies will include limited advertisements in India," the company said in a blog post.
Prime Lite subscribers, however, will not be affected by these changes and will continue to have access to the full content library with ads in 720p HD resolution on a single device.
In the blog post, the streaming giant stated that while ads will be included in its shows and movies, the number of ads will be limited.
"We aim to have meaningfully fewer ads than linear TV and other streaming TV providers," the company stated.
Customers will be notified via email several weeks before ads are introduced, giving them the option to upgrade to the ad-free plan.
On October 4, Amazon announced that it is set to expand the number of ads on Prime Video by 2025, following eight months of testing. The company observed that viewers are less bothered by ads than initially expected, and the trial period saw minimal subscriber cancellations. Amazon plans to implement a more ad-focused model as part of its long-term strategy to enhance viewer engagement without negatively impacting its subscriber base.
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