Representatives for Amazon's Prime Video say the streaming service will begin showing ads starting on Feb. 5, 2024, in Canada. This March 19, 2018 file photo shows Amazon's Prime Video streaming app on an iPad in Baltimore. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Patrick Semansky,
TORONTO – Amazon’s Prime Video has picked the date when it’ll begin showing commercials on its streaming service in Canada.
Representatives for the company told The Canadian Press they’ve marked Feb. 5, 2024, for the launch of ad breaks within its TV and film programming, which includes action series “Reacher” and the “Mr. Dressup” documentary.
The ad tier will now be the default of the retailer’s Prime membership, which includes discounts on shipping. However, subscribers can opt out of commercials by paying an additional $2.99 per month.
The announcement comes as streaming companies look for new ways to boost revenue, which has led many to introduce ad tiers on their cheapest monthly plans while raising the price of ad-free packages.
Prime Video, which first outlined plans to launch “limited ads” in September, says it will screen “meaningfully fewer ads than linear TV and other streaming TV providers.”
Viewers in the U.S., where Amazon already operates a free, ad-supported streaming service called Freevee, will begin seeing commercials on Prime Video a week earlier than Canada, on Jan. 29, 2024.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 27, 2023.
