Ads are coming to Prime Video Australia — here's what it means for your Prime membership

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Starting July 2nd, the streamer will roll out ads on its monthly plan

Prime Video app on a phone near popcorn and headphones
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

If you're a fan of Prime Video in Australia for its ad-free streaming, prepare to have your bubble burst: Starting July 2nd, 2024, the e-commerce giant's streamer will begin rolling out ads on its 'basic' monthly Prime membership plan. 

In an email sent out to Prime Video subscribers earlier today, the streamer noted that its content catalogue will "include limited advertisements", which will allow the platform to "continue investing in compelling content and keep increasing that investment over a long period of time". 

Prime Video's global rollout of ad-supported plans

A first look at Amazon's Fallout TV series coming to Prime Video

(Image credit: Amazon/Prime Video)

Earlier this year, Prime Video began its rollout of ads in other regions, including the US and Canada. Amazon was even sued over the price hike, with one customer alleging that they started receiving ads halfway through their yearly subscription, which was originally marketed as being ad-free.

There is currently no confirmation on whether the streamer will introduce a yearly offering to Aussie subscribers yet, but we can speculate that Amazon will likely want to avoid any more hot water when it comes to Prime Video. 

Intriguingly, the service isn't using the same strategy as other platforms in decreasing monthly costs for an ad-supported tier. Netflix's current ad-supported plan is priced at AU$6.99p/m — which is the cheapest streaming service available in Australia — so we're surprised that Amazon isn't discounting the original service and offering that as an option instead. 

While US viewers have seen the brunt of terrible Amazon ads, we're hopeful that the streamer will take a different approach with Aussie consumers. With such an extensive library of shows, movies and documentaries, it will be interesting to see whether Aussies will fork out the extra dosh per month to keep Prime Video ad-free. Of course, we will keep you updated come July, but until then, let's hope for the best, shall we? 

Lucy Scotting
Lucy Scotting
Staff Writer

Lucy Scotting is a digital content writer for Tom’s Guide in Australia, primarily covering NBN and internet-related news. Lucy started her career writing for HR and staffing industry publications, with articles covering emerging tech, business and finance. In her spare time, Lucy can be found watching sci-fi movies, working on her dystopian fiction novel or hanging out with her dog, Fletcher.