Amazon Prime Video to start showing ads from January

NME

Amazon Prime Video has confirmed the dates from which it will introduce advert breaks in its shows.

The move was first announced back in September as a bid to increase the amount of money it invests in making original content.

Users in the US will start seeing ads on the streamer from January 29, while they will appear on UK and German users’ version of the service from February 4.

Amazon said the move would “allow us to continue investing in compelling content and keep increasing that investment over a long period of time”.

An ad-free version of Amazon Prime Video will be available for an extra £2.99 per month, but live content such as sports will continue to feature adverts. The company affirmed in an email to customers that it aims to “have meaningfully fewer ads than linear TV and other streaming TV providers” and will still offer “compelling value”.

Amazon plans on expanding adverts to other territories, including France, Italy, Spain, Mexico and Australia, later in 2024.

Some of Amazon’s rival streamers, including Disney+ and Netflix, have also brought in adverts in recent months, particularly as they have struggled to hold onto customers amid growing inflation worldwide.

In other streaming news, Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Global have held talks for a potential merger that would see two of the world’s biggest media companies join together, according to reports.

The talks are in a “very early stage” and the merger may still not go ahead, sources close to the talks claim.

The merger would see the combination of two of Hollywood’s traditional “Big Five” studios. Warner and Paramount currently have a combined market value of around $38bn (£30bn).

Reports of a possible merger come as Paramount faces substantial pressure to find a buyer or forge a strategic partnership after it reported a long-term debt of $15.6bn. While it is considerably less than Warner Bros’ debt of $43.5bn, Warner Bros. Discovery still holds a greater market value –  $28.4bn over Paramount Global’s $10.3bn.

Both companies were hit hard as consumers transitioned from cable TV subscriptions to streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Apple TV+.

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