Amazon is raising the price of its ad-free streaming service and stripping 4K support from those with an ad-supported Prime Video plan.
Effective April 10, banishing ads from Prime Video will cost $4.99 per month in the US on top of the annual or monthly cost of Prime, up from $2.99 per month. Amazon has also rebranded the ad-free tier as Prime Video Ultra.
Amazon tips “enhanced features” for Ultra subscribers, but what caught our eye was how the Ultra subscription includes “exclusive access to 4K/UHD streaming.” That’s concerning, since ad-supported Prime Video currently supports up to 4K (Ultra HD) on TVs. However, an image in Amazon’s announcement shows 4K/UHD missing as a feature for the base subscription, which is bundled as a “free” perk with an Amazon Prime subscription.
(Credit: Amazon)
The image suggests that ad-supported Prime Video will only offer HD 1080p streaming, albeit at High Dynamic Range (HDR) when applicable.
So far, Amazon hasn’t commented on the change. But in its announcement, the company wrote, “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. Prime members will continue to enjoy the core Prime Video benefit, including HD/HDR and now Dolby Vision, at no additional cost with their Prime membership.”
Still, the loss of 4K support will no doubt annoy streamers. It comes after Amazon surprised Prime subscribers in January 2024 by inserting ads into Prime Video and announcing that it would cost $2.99 per month to remove them. That ad load has since increased.
However, removing 4K support does in fact align with other streaming services. HBO Max and Netflix have paywalled higher-quality video behind their more expensive “Premium” plans.
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In the meantime, Amazon stresses that it is not raising the cost of a Prime membership, which is $14.99 per month or $139 per year.
To boost the appeal of Prime Video Ultra, the company says the plan will support up to five concurrent streams, an increase from three. Ad-supported Prime Video users will be able to stream concurrently from up to four devices, a bump from three as well.
The announcement adds: “Customers who have an annual Prime membership plan can also opt to switch to the Prime Video Ultra annual plan at $45.99, a 23% discount from the monthly rate.”
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Michael Kan
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I’ve been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I’m currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country’s technology sector.
Since 2020, I’ve covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I’ve combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink’s cellular service.
I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. Earlier this year, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.
I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I’m now following how President Trump’s tariffs will affect the industry. I’m always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.
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