I'm lightly amused by the choice to include the word "limited" in the headline. Sorry, "limited" ads are still ads, no matter how you try and downplay it!
For Christmas, we present you the new subscription with unlimited ads!
Amazon to add limited ads to Prime Video starting in early 2024
51–60 of 102 posts
Re: Amazon to add limited ads to Prime Video starting in early 2024
#52Welp, it was a good run, I guess. I'd been considering dumping Prime as I've been using the other benefits less and less the past few years. This will be the final straw for me. Goodbye, worst streaming UI on the planet!
Re: Amazon to add limited ads to Prime Video starting in early 2024
#53Interesting how every subscription business is slowly turning to the traditional ad-supported model. People might refuse it, but ad-supported is one of the most efficient business models on both the consumer side and business side. Allows more customers to access a service, for free, with the same quality. Plus, every company needs marketing, and even consumers need it. It allows us to notice things we might need in…
> Allows more customers to access a service, for free, with the same quality. Being interrupted and attempted to be brainwashed every X minutes is not “the same quality”.
Also, paying for them is not free.
Re: Amazon to add limited ads to Prime Video starting in early 2024
#54What is curious is that all entertainment really only seems to be viable when heavily cross-subsidized by everyone.
The streaming bait and switch is another example of Silicon Valley 'disrupting' entertainment by ignoring its history, and then throwing ads back in claiming there was no other way.
The arts have only ever flourished under formal systems of patronage; the need for immediate commercial viability is what has led us to a landscape of every service offering 10 comic book/fantasy novel adaptations for every 1 original screenplay.
Re: Amazon to add limited ads to Prime Video starting in early 2024
#55Earlier quoted context omitted.
They obviously have the advantage of people having Prime for deliveries and the inertia required to change shopping habits. Like you, I think this is a step too far and I will gladly suffer the inconvenience of buying stuff from other retailers in the future.
> I will gladly suffer the inconvenience of buying stuff from other retailers in the future Tried it and failed. Higher prices, costly 5 day "express" shipping and questionable / non-existent return policies - the time and effort required to wade through is not worth it. I want to not use Amazon too - but other retailers make it really really hard.
Not my experience at all.
Re: Amazon to add limited ads to Prime Video starting in early 2024
#56Earlier quoted context omitted.
While this is true, Netflix hiked prices massively over the years. Their 4K/HDR offering is 17.99 EUR per month here. Amazon Prime including Prime Video is still 8.99 EUR/month, cheaper if paid yearly, without any surcharge for 4K/HDR. So that's more than twice the price for a comparable streaming service.
I cancelled Netflix and will resubscribe for a month over Christmas; they did me a favour with that one.
As an F1 fan I subscribe each year for Drive to Survive just for a month (and I hate the fake commentaries, but has some interesting content).
Re: Amazon to add limited ads to Prime Video starting in early 2024
#57You know what membership hasn’t shoved ads down my throat?
My library card.
I value it more and more every day.
Re: Amazon to add limited ads to Prime Video starting in early 2024
#58Earlier quoted context omitted.
They obviously have the advantage of people having Prime for deliveries and the inertia required to change shopping habits. Like you, I think this is a step too far and I will gladly suffer the inconvenience of buying stuff from other retailers in the future.
My Prime Video doesn't give me deliveries. Also no Kindle, just that: video. Might be a country thing, or a different subscription you have in mind?
Absolutely a country thing!
In countries where the Amazon Prime membership (originally this was for fast free shipping only) is available, Prime Video is included with that: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Prime#Availability
Outside of those countries you can typically get Prime Video as a cheaper, separate subscription: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Prime_Video#Availabilit...
In Germany, for instance, I don't think you can get Prime Video without the full Amazon Prime subscription. In countries where the shipping benefit is more costly (like the US) they may offer different membership tiers.
Re: Amazon to add limited ads to Prime Video starting in early 2024
#59Earlier quoted context omitted.
There's a necessity in society for some form of advertising. People and businesses want to communicate what products and services are available. If a random person wants the ability to start their own business, they're going to need the ability to advertise that they have a new product that they want people to try. Or they want to advertise that there's some societal issue that they want people to be aware of. Consid…
> Consider a world with zero ads. There wouldn't be annoying interruptions. But we also wouldn't ever learn which new movies are playing Pull, not push. If I want to know once I'll look it up. If I want to be reminded regularly I'll subscribe to their new movie feed.
Non-flamebait question: But how do you know to look it up in the first place? Word of mouth from friends or reviewers, i.e. influencers?
Unless we're defining "ads" to mean "interstitial video|aural ads", then I'll concede the point.
Re: Amazon to add limited ads to Prime Video starting in early 2024
#60Earlier quoted context omitted.
> I will gladly suffer the inconvenience of buying stuff from other retailers in the future Tried it and failed. Higher prices, costly 5 day "express" shipping and questionable / non-existent return policies - the time and effort required to wade through is not worth it. I want to not use Amazon too - but other retailers make it really really hard.
What are you buying that you experience this? Household goods from target (bonus probably not fake), electronics Best Buy and B&H, Costco for a lot of misc, and clothing from old navy and h&m etc. all have easy returns and often better prices than I see at Amazon (even for books oddly — Target must track Amazon prices to the penny).
It's less about what and more about where. For example, in European countries Amazon pricing and (often) return policies are distinctly better than most.