It’s Prime Video’s turn on the price hike merry-go-round, but Amazon is throwing in goodies
Amazon is launching Prime Video Ultra to replace the Ad-Free tier. It comes at a cost, but does have new features.
Barely a month goes by without one of the major streaming services sending the dreaded email to customers asking them to prize another few bucks out of their wallets with little more return. So, there’s a crumb of comfort in Amazon Prime providing subscribers with several new features.
In the United States, Amazon is raising the price of what Prime subscribers pay for the ad-free version of Prime Video. From $2.99 today, it’s going up to $4.99 on April 10. From that point on, it’ll be called Prime Video Ultra
In return, Amazon will give those users access to exclusive 4K HDR streaming. The Ultra tier also adds Dolby Atmos Audio support, increases the number of simultaneous streams from three to five and offers up to 100 downloads. Previously, users could only download 25.
Are these perks worth an extra $2 a month? Especially considering users already had access to 4K Ultra HD streams, it has simply been taken away from those who aren’t paying (sorry ad-supported users, you’re getting a downgrade).
“Delivering ad-free streaming with premium features requires significant investment, and this structure aligns with other major streaming services while ensuring customers have the flexibility to choose how they want to watch,” Amazon says in a blog post announcing the change.
Prime subscribers who don’t pay extra for the ad-free version will continue to get the ad-supported tier as part of their monthly dues without handing over an extra penny. They’ll also keep access to HD/HDR content with Dolby Vision support and will continue to have access to the full library, including live sports. Prime members will also see their max downloads rise from 25 to 50 and be able to access four concurrent streams instead of three.
Prime Video is the latest company to push the prices up in the last few months. Apple TV, Disney+ and HBO Max are among those asking for more and more money.
Chris Smith
