If you’ve settled in for a movie night on Amazon Prime Video and an ad suddenly interrupts the action, you might be wondering what’s going on. You pay for a Prime membership, so commercials probably feel out of place. The answer to whether Prime Video has ads is a bit more layered than a simple yes or no, and it largely depends on the specific show or movie you’re watching.
The Standard Prime Video Experience
For the vast majority of the content in the Prime Video library, you can enjoy your shows and movies completely ad-free. This includes all of Amazon’s own original series, like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel or The Boys, as well as a huge selection of licensed films and TV shows. When you watch these, the experience is uninterrupted from start to finish, which is a significant benefit of your subscription.
When You Might See Ads on the Platform
The main place you will encounter commercials is during live TV events and through certain third-party channels. Services that are available as add-ons within Prime Video, such as Paramount+ or Max, have their own commercial policies. More directly, Amazon has introduced ads into its on-demand content for a specific reason: to offer some movies and shows for free to everyone, even those without a Prime membership. These “Freevee” titles are supported by ads and are clearly marked.
Paying More to Skip Ads Entirely
Recently, Amazon made a change that affects all subscribers. To remain on the completely ad-free plan for all on-demand Prime Video titles, there is now an additional monthly fee. If you do nothing, you will see limited ads before and during streams. To remove these, you need to opt for the ad-free tier for an extra cost per month. This move brings Amazon in line with many other streaming services that now offer a tiered pricing structure.
Making Sense of the New Landscape
It can feel frustrating when a service you’ve used for years introduces ads. The key takeaway is that your core Prime membership still offers a massive, ad-free library. The ads you see are either by choice (on free content) or can be removed for a fee. Checking the details of a title before you press play can help you know what to expect, ensuring your streaming experience is exactly what you want it to be.
Leave a Reply