Amazon Prime Video will show advertisements to subscribers in India

Amazon Prime Video subscribers in India will start seeing advertisements during shows and movies from next year – a move the company calls necessary for future investments in content. The latest change comes months after Amazon revamped its subscription model for Prime Video in the US. At the same time, Amazon is mulling to charge users more for an ad-free streaming experience on Prime Video.

“To continue investing in compelling content and keep increasing that investment over a long period of time, starting in 2025, Prime Video shows and movies will include limited advertisements in India,” Amazon said in a statement. However, it did not clarify the kind of advertisements these will be.

The company said it aims to offer “meaningfully fewer” advertisements compared to its competitors. Currently, no streaming service offers advertisements to paid subscribers. Platforms such as ZEE5 and Disney+ Hotstar operate through a ‘freemium’ model where subscribers can watch select content for free with advertisements but are required to buy a subscription for uninterrupted streaming in high video quality.

Amazon also offers free streaming through its miniTV OTT platform, which was recently rebranded to Amazon MX Player after it acquired certain assets of MX Player. However, Prime subscribers have access to the company’s widest catalogue of movies and shows, including originals such as the award-winning show, Panchayat. Amazon also offers a Prime Lite subscription that costs less than the regular Prime subscription. However, Prime Lite subscribers see advertisements during shows and movies, streamable at 720p video quality.

According to the company, it will not change the Prime subscription prices in 2025, but introduce an additional ad-free option, the price and details of which will arrive “at a later date.” Amazon also assured Prime Video users that it will inform users “several weeks before ads are introduced into Prime Video,” along with information on how they can sign up for the ad-free option if they want. The Prime Lite subscription will continue to co-exist without a change.