Amazon Prime Video starts showing ads in January unless you pay $2.99/month xtra

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Amazon will start inserting ads into Prime Video streams on January 29, 2024, unless customers pay an extra $2.99 per month on top of their existing Prime or standalone Prime Video subscriptions. Commenters argue this is another step in the “enshittification” of streaming: prices rise, ad loads return to near‑cable levels, catalogs fragment, and previously paid‑for services quietly degrade in quality and usability. Many say they will cancel Prime or revert to piracy and physical media, questioning the ethics of modern copyright and whether large platforms can still be trusted when digital purchases and subscriptions offer no lasting ownership.

Prime Video change & pricing

  • From Jan 29, 2024, Prime Video will include ads unless users pay +$2.99/month; annual Prime price itself is unchanged but effectively more for ad‑free viewing.
  • Some see this as a straightforward price increase and “double dipping” (or even “triple dipping”) on a service already paid through Prime.
  • Others argue Prime Video is a separate business that must be profitable like Netflix/Hulu, regardless of Amazon’s huge market cap.

Perceived decline in Prime’s value

  • Many say Prime shipping is slower and less reliable than past 2‑day guarantees; free non‑Prime shipping often arrives nearly as fast.
  • Complaints include: confusing marketplace with fakes/low‑quality goods, unclear “Prime” pricing vs non‑Prime, weaker video catalog, and loss of “free to me” filter.
  • A minority report consistently fast shipping and still find Prime worthwhile, especially with photo storage or credit‑card cashback.

Ads, double-dipping, and ethics

  • Strong resistance to ads in paid services; comparisons to cable TV’s evolution from “fewer ads” to heavily ad‑laden.
  • Some note ad‑supported tiers reportedly make more revenue per user than ad‑free ones, explaining the push.
  • Concerns about dark patterns in sign‑ups/cancellations and fear more ads will be layered on later.

Piracy, ownership, and alternatives

  • Large subthread debates morality of piracy:
    • One side: piracy isn’t like “stealing bananas”; no physical deprivation, often no legal way to buy, and it counters DRM/“we can revoke your purchases” practices.
    • Other side: still see it as wrong or akin to theft; argue you should go without if it isn’t available.
  • Many predict or report a return to torrents/*ARR stacks, seedboxes, debrid services, and Plex/Kodi setups, often citing better UX and permanence.
  • Growing interest in buying physical media and ripping it; distrust of “purchased” digital content that can disappear.

Streaming economics & enshittification

  • Multiple comments frame this as classic “enshittification”: subsidized golden age → growth slows → Wall Street demands revenue → prices up, ads added, UX degraded.
  • Discussion of how streaming without ads removed a big historical revenue stream, driving today’s multi‑tier, ad‑heavy models.

User experience & behavioral responses

  • Widespread complaints about poor Prime Video UX: mixed free/paid rows, hard to find watchlists, aggressive upsell of rentals/channels.
  • Many say this change is their trigger to cancel Prime, or they’ve already cancelled and don’t miss it.
  • Others will stay for shipping but refuse to pay the extra $2.99, or simply plan to watch less video overall.