Adverts starting on Amazon Prime Feb 5th

[GazzaGarratt 11,049]

Received an email yesterday saying no charge increase but adverts will be played from Feb 5th. If you don't want to see them an ad-free option of £2.99 a month is available.

 

I don't think many are bothered about adverts. Sure, its annoying but as long as its similar to youtube where you can skip them and it isn't every 10 minutes into a film, I can cope with that. Clever marketing though offering just £3 a month which pretty much every human being earning can afford, even though they are already taking the Prime membership off you for the facility of using Video alongside Prime deliveries.

 

Taking everything into account (I can't beleive I'm saying this) but as subscriptions go for what you get back, the Amazon Prime one is the one we just wouldn't get rid because it gives you something across multiple services (Next-Day delivery, etc).

 

Just wondered what other people thought about this? Do people pay stuff like £3 a month to get rid of ads because its less than buying one coffee a month?

[Luseth 1,948]

I have cancelled my subscription and it comes to an end later this month, it's ok saying it's just £3 a month but multiply that by the current number of people that use it and that is a ridiculous amount of additional income, income that Bezos certainly does not need, think about how much money Amazon bring in do they really need it or is it profiteering and banking on people to be of the same opinion as you Lee?

 

I think there is a reason why they have just said adverts so far as well, they are being quite clever I think in not revealing anymore than that, we don't know currently what form these adverts will take, whether or not they will be skippable and the length of them, if it's just typical adverts much like we would see on tv then the value of our traditional TV with BBC and ITV begin to look better value for money.

 

I also think this is not about Amazon making better products as they are suggesting but recouping some of the losses they have made on some of the big tv shows such as the rings of power. I mean why isn't there an option to just have prime delivery, I only use the video and music because it is there but I would happily pay less and just have the delivery. In fact half the products you buy on there now are no longer 1 day delivery which was it's initial draw, the amazon prime subscription is being watered down more and more and I think the incredible value it started out being is no longer there.

 

 

[tronic44 3,642]

I agree about Amazon being the best for money, fast delivery, video, music, pictures....I'm sure there's more. Netflix now is so expensive it's ridiculous, if you want the Ultra HD subscription it's around £18 a month which is stupid. Disney is a pretty good price baring in mind how much there is to watch on there and the fact they get new films pretty soon after release.

 

It's ridiculous that they're adding adverts, they definitely don't need to do that with the money they make. I read that Netflix has increased the amount for a subscription because more people were buying subscriptions....that doesn't make any sense, surely the more people who have it the cheaper it should be? 

[GazzaGarratt 11,049]

3 hours ago, Luseth said:

I have cancelled my subscription and it comes to an end later this month, it's ok saying it's just £3 a month but multiply that by the current number of people that use it and that is a ridiculous amount of additional income, income that Bezos certainly does not need, think about how much money Amazon bring in do they really need it or is it profiteering and banking on people to be of the same opinion as you Lee?

 

Don't get me wrong, my statement is factual and with no emotional connection to it. I think its always good to understand how life works - from a 100% business perspective is a shrewd move. From a moral, ethical point of view, its not needed in any way. Amazon have enough money in my eyes as they have effectively created one of the best way for people to shop in 2024 - again, I say 'best' knowing its subjective, but I mean in a factual sense because we benefit from ease of use, although I really do miss going to Gamestation and browsing all the physical games available.

 

I think they've been one of the few that are able to speculate to accumulate companies, that allow them to offset costs from different bits like films, tv series creations, through people sending in Prime memberships when I bet most people don't even make full use of quick deliveries like we do in our house.

 

3 hours ago, tronic44 said:

I agree about Amazon being the best for money, fast delivery, video, music, pictures....I'm sure there's more. Netflix now is so expensive it's ridiculous, if you want the Ultra HD subscription it's around £18 a month which is stupid. Disney is a pretty good price baring in mind how much there is to watch on there and the fact they get new films pretty soon after release.

 

It's ridiculous that they're adding adverts, they definitely don't need to do that with the money they make. I read that Netflix has increased the amount for a subscription because more people were buying subscriptions....that doesn't make any sense, surely the more people who have it the cheaper it should be? 

 

I think maybe I should have led with this as when you start comparing services, then you start to create the thoughts if a subscription is something I should pay for or not. Against Netflix, Disney and the rest, none of them give me what I regularly use on Amazon. And as you say Rich, weirdly, Amazon seems to be cheaper, not many restrictions to watching their service, etc.

 

Its a good thread to get peoples views on this stuff. I'm still interested in if anyone has a free service like YouTube, do they pay to get rid of ads at all? Just a really interesting subject as years ago, FG was gonna have ads on here but I never wanted them but you then do have to rely on the goodness of peoples hearts to care about being around and donating to keep stuff rolling. Clearly the big corps don't need to do that as much know but its clear to see adverts must be an absolute monumental money spinner in this day and age for them.

[Plumbers Crack 4,062]

I use basic YT a lot and just ignore the ads. I definitely wouldn't pay extra for ad-free or HD.

Being a child of the 60's I became immune to adverts early in life. I'm watching the Sunderland v Newcastle cup tie at the moment (good game, cracking atmosphere) and I'll adopt my usual halftime tactic... make a cuppa! 😂

[techno 3,510]

Can't imagine why people use "dodgy" boxes.

This streaming/subscription thing has got out of hand. 

However there will be enough people out there who justify it by saying it's one less coffee a month to cover Amy losses from people cancelling. 

[IRaMPaGe 3,236]

We use Amazon Prime, mainly for deliveries being in the Scottish Highlands. 

It really helps, also plenty of stuff especially for the little one to watch. 

 

I use Netflix and Disney, but just guest accounts. 

Don't pay for them ha. 

Got rid of Sky about 3 years ago. 

 

Sky is Dick Turpin in box form. 

Even without sports and movies, it's still 40-70 quid easily. 

Robbing bastards! 

 

If Sky was reasonable and not greedy in the first place, then all these subscription based services would not thrive or exist so much. 

[J4MES OX4D 10,033]

I'd just suffer it to be honest. I don't use the service but it's probably no different to where YouTube went a decade ago and that's tolerable. Certainly wouldn't pay to skip them and I don't know of anyone who has a premium YT account. There's really very little profit for companies with these subscription services as evidenced with how they work with gaming so if they can make more money through direct adverts then it may benefit the platform. What I don't want to see is adverts worming their way into games consoles.