Prime Video subs will soon see ads for Amazon products when they hit pause

The enshitification continues.

Cancel your sub and don’t renew it. This shit will only continue getting worse if people continue paying for it

I canceled Prime as soon as they announced they were adding ads and I let them know that was the reason. Fuck them. We moved to streaming because it wasn't cable, now these fuck heads are trying to turn streaming into cable. Capitalism is the fucking worst.
- I'm busy with work lately, but I'm investing into setting up Jellyfin, and the moment that's running, I'm canceling as well.
  
  Would cancel sooner, but I'm not the one that actually uses it, so this was the compromise.
- It isn't "capitalism" it is that there isn't a meaningful push back
I only have it because I have prime for shopping. If they were separate fees, I would not have streaming.
- If you live near a regional transportation hub it probably won’t make a difference on your delivery times. We dropped prime when our “1 day” deliveries kept turning in 3 day deliveries and never saw a difference.
  
  And honestly a lot of the stuff I used to get on there isn’t even cheaper on Amazon anymore. Half the time if I check the manufacturer website they’re having a sale or have no shipping costs or cover returns longer, something like that. YMMV, you know your situation and needs better than me.
- Same, and even that is getting worse. I feel like I have to fight with the search algorithm to actually find what I want for the best price. Most of the time, I could order something better from another retailer for a better price and still get free shipping. They don't even do free returns anymore.
- I hope they know I'm not watching anything on their platform.
- Same. And I still steal Prime videos. Why hassle?
I started acquiring my prime videos elsewhere even though I have prime
- Say it out loud. We're both pirating content we've paid for. What a dumb system.
- I've done the same with Netflix for years and previously had the 4 streams 4k plan up until they implemented their bullshit password sharing rules. Now I have the $6.99 plan and only keep it because my MIL babysits for us and likes to watch all the K dramas on there.
I deleted my Amazon account a couple years ago and haven't looked back. Everyone has their own needs, but I'm just letting you know: it can be done!
Did it this last cycle. Didn't renew, don't miss it. In fact the announcement of adding more ads into the video service I didn't want, but had to pay for to get prime lead to me just leaving.
I don’t pay for prime for the video though, I do it because 10 members of my family like the 2 day shipping lol the video is just icing that we honestly rarely use. Just “The Boys” and “Clarksons Farm” really
And become a pirate!

I actually get Prime TV series from the high seas even though I'm subscribed to Prime. It's simply better UX this way.

It's shocking how bad their ui is. I don't get it.
- The sad thing is, it's much better than it was.
  
  You'd see a movie, read the truncated blurb, click into it to see the full details, only to get the exact same text in a bigger font, so you'd actually see less of it.
  
  I cancelled it the day they announced more ads.
Same here. I have Prime but only for their Amazon Prime delivery services, not for their video or audio thing(Amazon refuses to unbundle their stuff in my country). To make it worse, Amazon Prime Video, Atleast last I tried didn't go to full HD(or even 720p) on Firefox on Linux, so there is no point to it.

And there is hardly an ethical concern to it. I am paying for a service but getting my hands on the material; just via a different supply chain because Amazon sucks.
- didn’t go to full HD(or even 720p) on Firefox on Linux
  
  you will run into similar restrictions on other services that use drm.
I do the same with a bunch of content. It's amazing how I'm able to run a streaming service from my basement that's better than Disney or Amazon.
Same. I ditched AZ once they added ads PV. After 2 20s back to back ads, I unfurled my Jolly Roger. Fuck ads.
I never used Prime Video, and I cancelled my Prime subscription in protest against this shit. Never going back.
Amazon also horrifically mangles and compresses their video for seemingly no reason all the time.
- It's not for no reason, it's to lower bandwidth costs. It may not be a reason that benefits you but there is definitely a reason.
- I think that's dependent on a lot of factors. Most of the highest quality webrips are from Amazon. Pretty sure there was less audio compression on their streams as well.
  
  But watching, you'd often see it lose all quality for seemingly no reason at all, and revert to something that wouldn't have looked out of place on RealPlayer on a 56K modem. I had this several times, and only reinstalling their useless app would fix it.
Yup 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️
I watched Fallout with torrentio, even though I have prime logged in on my TV.

It is insane to me how piracy is making a comeback because decision makers forgot Gabe's lesson

What's Gabe's lesson?
- Piracy is a service problem.
- “We think there is a fundamental misconception about piracy. Piracy is almost always a service problem and not a pricing problem,”
  
  “If a pirate offers a product anywhere in the world, 24 x 7, purchasable from the convenience of your personal computer, and the legal provider says the product is region-locked, will come to your country 3 months after the US release, and can only be purchased at a brick and mortar store, then the pirate’s service is more valuable.”
  
  Source

I'm one of the people that canceled when they announced they were going to be putting ads in prime. I'm doing just fine without it.

I've honestly just hit a point in life where I'm dine giving megacorps money. I stopped piracy like a decade ago because I had the means to pay for shit, but since then companies have just started treating customers with more and more disrespect, and I'm perfectly knowledgeable on how to access most of their shit fir free and with less restrictions and hassle. So Im back to piracy not fir money reasons, but FUCK YOU reasons
- 100% relatable. Done with these abusive subscriptions.
- Yup. I'm looking for legal options to buy what I want so I can drop my last couple subscriptions (Disney+ and Netflix). I'm currently on the ad free versions of those, and if those go away or become too expensive, I'll be more motivated to get rid of them.
  
  I already cut out Amazon Prime, Disney+ is the next to go. I'm updating my NAS so it can hold more videos, and I'll teach my kids how to use it instead of the smart TV. The next step is to replace my smart TV with a dumb TV...
Same mine just ended last week I think. Meh. Lately I've been noticing the quality issues and tricks of the junk sold on there where I am always cautious when I buy random stuff. Prime video was just a bonus, and I hardly used it anyways. This was the final nail in the coffin. I also do not want to endorse this sort of behavior so others do it.
On a completely unrelated note, the *arr suite is a pretty nice collection of services.
Same... And since I still have not replaced their firetv sticks, I know use all their advertising as a list of "here is what's out, in case you want to sail for it"

Thank you Amazon hehehehe
Mine ends in July. There are definitely some decent shows on Prime but I'm not going to spend an extra 25% to get the same shit and I'm not going to watch their ads. Products on Amazon are near worthless so there is not much value there.

Jesus christ do these people not understand what “Pause” means? It means my roommate just walked in and wants to discuss something. It means we’re looking at the freeze frame to see some aspect of the shot. It means the same damned collection of events should happen any time a “Pause” control’s been triggered since the invention of playback.

Why are the UX people not fighting them on this? Why does design have to be about breaking everything these days?

UX vet here.

UX usually never ever has the final say on this stuff. Product management, finance, and marketing almost always win out in most companies. Heck, in just about every agile training that is given, people are taught that product management gets the final vote on whether or not a feature gets prioritized.

Amazon is famous for being driven by bean counters and analysts. Many of their product development decisions are driven by measurable short term incremental tests. Amazon has never really known how to build physical or digital experiences that people love.
- This is one of the reasons I went to Apple TV for my streaming box.
  
  All the streaming services seem to be in a race to make the slowest, worst looking, least consistent application possible. And Apple at least has a bit of a hand in making them reign it in a bit, and keep the players consistent.
  
  "ooh, we're averaging only 75% cpu use, we can cram another shitty effect in here..."
UX designers present to Directors and VPs; VPs and Directors speak to their C-level; C-level and Board want more money; VPs and Directors tell UX/UI team; UX team complains; designers fired; UI outsourced at 2x rate; Ad driven website achieved; Consumer Satisfaction drops; Revenue increases; Board rich; People poor; Sad
The UX people did have that fight. It ultimately comes down to "take your check and do it, or we can find someone who will"
- So why are they taking the checks? Why not fight?
That all sounds great.
Here's more ads

Yes. Because when I pause to discuss a show I'm watching with someone, or to otherwise pay attention to something else for a moment, for some other sound and video to play is exactly what I want.

This makes literally no sense. The whole point of pausing, is that it's something you do right before you turn your attention away, and that's when they want to show you ads?

Either these ads won't work, because no-one will look at them, or they will defeat the point of pausing, annoying the living shit out of your users. It's a lose-lose for everyone involved. Including the advertisers.

I remember when commercial breaks were the time when you went to the bathroom/got snacks and then ran back and jumped over the couch to get back before the show started again.

But most ads don't work on a conscious level. They're there to make whatever is being advertised seem normal and good, like birds singing in the trees, background noise you associate with good feelings. The point isn't to get people to engage rationally. The point is to elicit positive emotions and associate them with a brand.
- The point is to elicit positive emotions and associate them with a brand.
  
  This is super obvious in pharmaceutical commercials as they all follow the same formula of upbeat music, people either enjoying nature or a party with friends, and lots of smiling as the voice-over tells you about the anal leakage and heart failure side effects.
- Almost all the ads I've seen on Prime video are for other Prime movies. They never appear during a natural break in whatever I'm watching, just burst right in in the middle of a scene. They elicit zero positive emotions, and I am about to cancel my subscription.
- The point is to elicit positive emotions and associate them with a brand.
  
  Then don't interrupt my movie or my pause time, and I won't be pissed at you, then have a seemingly irrational anger-hate when I see you at the store, and refuse to purchase you. There are so many products I won't buy because of this.

This deal keeps getting worse all the time.

Pray they don't alter it any further
- Or just fucking cancel it.
  
  This 100% discretionary and somehow these clown companies are able to act as if this is like rent or food.
  
  At some point plebs need to own their pathetic consumption patterns. Nothing will change otherwise.

There's an easy solution for that.

Cancel it. Stop buying things from Amazon. Stop giving that awful company your money.

Our research shows that we can fill up to 80% of the visual field with ads before we induce seizures!

Pioneering a technique to insert ads into the middle of your seizures so we don't have to worry about going over 80%
- With the Amazon Alexa equipped with the GM-AL Vision System, we can time the ads between vision lapses and achieve nearly 95% ad prevalence in 91% of Prime subs.
  
  With the Extended View VR headset equipped with new eye-opening visuals we are seeing 98% percent ad observation with only a 23% hospitalization rate for blindness and numbness of the zygomatic nerve.
  
  Both the Amazon Alexa with GM-AL and Extended View headset will be available for $99.99 and $249.99, or $49.99 and $149.99 with a prime subscription, this next fiscal quarter.

Any streaming service that tries to combine ads+sub is just as greedy as cable TV and I can't support that kind of shitty business practice. Ads free or sub no ads. Cancelled each service as they rolled out that trash. Currently only subbed to Criterion and thinking of resubbing to Shudder.

It's easy though, just pay an extra 36 bucks per year, bringing your total prime sub cost to 176 bucks per year, very reasonable!

Just cancelled my prime today. I don't watch the video, just use it for delivery

It said "But you've save €247 with your prime account since the start!"

Over the last six years I've paid about €270 for the prime subscription

Fuck off Amazon

Only reason I still have prime is simple - diapers. I save enough on them alone to justify it. But once that's done (another year-ish), I don't think it will be worth it anymore.

And yet, I still don't use prime video. It's just not a good experience, and obviously getting worse. And as I have kids, the management of what I'm ok with them seeing is way easier on JF than prime video.
- Only makes it worse to remember that Amazon killed diapers.com by selling under cost until they couldn't hold on any more and more we're all worse off.
- Why not Costco instead? It's $65 for a year, and you'd probably make that up on diapers alone in that first year. You need to actually go pick them up so it wouldn't work if you don't live near a Costco.
  
  There are also other bulk stores as well, depending on your area. Look around, Amazon is rarely the best price, they're just the most convenient since they have pretty much everything.
- (another year-ish)
  
  Glad to hear the IBS is clearing up

Once. It'll better be one hell of an ad because it will lose them my subscription. I stopped watching television back in the late 90s because of all the ads, before even I had internet to watch pirated media. I don't wear clothes with too visible logos. Just saying to illustrate how this ain't an empty threat.

Losing a single customer probably doesn't matter to them. But I hope Im not the only one?

I'd been looking for the nudge to cancel and the last round of ads did it for me.

Yo ho, yo ho....

The song has been sung...

Just imagine. If you install Amazon video on an external streaming device and hook it up to a new Roku TV, you could get the pleasure of looking at multiple layers of Pause screen ads.

Radarr and Sonarr. Look them up and stop giving Amazon money.

That is illegal. Buy Blurays if you aren't into piracy.
- Is it? Well let me go hang my head in shame while I read news every. single. day. of the scummy illegal shit the corpos are getting away with.
  
  Amazon can die in a fire for all I care.
- If Buying Isn’t Owning, Piracy Isn’t Stealing.
  
  The vast majority of the new content cannot be obtained on blurays anymore. So the only way to "Buy" the content is "licensing" digital copies of it that still has the verbiage of "buy" on the "store" that you purchase it from.
  
  Yeah, no pity for the piracy.
- My phone can't play BluRay disks.
  My computer can't natively play BluRay disks.
  My iPad can't play them.
  
  My only option is to pay for yet another HDMI device because of BluRay's DRM and sit down in front of a TV that I may not actually even own. That's both an additional waste of money and inconvient compared to watching an episode on my phone during lunch.
  
  Or I can use software to crack the DRM and rip the disk to video files, which is a violation of the DMCA and brings us right back to being illegal.
  
  Fuck streaming services, but also fuck DRM-encumbered pieces of plastic and foil. I'll buy the movie on a subscription-free service as a token gesture and pirate it.
- Watch out, we got a lawyer over here.

After almost 20 years as a Prime subscriber I unsubscribed about a week ago. It was the ads, I put up with a lot of nonsense over the years but the ads were the final insult.

I'm not paying full streaming service prices for a service with ads.

I was a long time subscriber as well, but canceled right before Christmas 2022. I missed it for about a week and then I realized most things I "needed immediately" from Amazon I could either 1) drive across town to purchase from brick and mortar or 2) actually just wait for it.

The end result has been me buying less things I don't need, and buying the things I do need from local retailers (and of course big box stores), or ordering them from other online retailers since the shipping is comparable to Amazon.

2 years in and I don't miss it at all, will never go back. I do want to watch the Fallout series though.
- You can sail the high seas for Fallout. It's worth it!
- As they've turned into wish.com over the last few years I've bought less and less from them so I by the end I was mainly paying for the TV service.
  
  I don't see myself gong back either.

When Amazon thinks "sub" means "submissive" rather than "subscriber"

and also doesn't care that findom is a common limit for many subs
In Amazon c-suite, they just call it slavery. But you know, that's "illegal", hence; "sub".

Spending all that time and money setting up my homeserver is looking better and better every day...

Yep. Just ordered 4 12tb hdds for a zfs setup
- I plan to recoup the cost in cancelled subscriptions.

Adverts are inevitable, these companies cannot help themselves. The temptation to double dip... A subscription from stupid saps and money from advertising. Soon the ads will creep into the other subscription tiers.

Piracy and ad blocking is the only escape.

Guess the vast majority of people are "stupid saps"
- Yes.
- Until they're pushed too far

Netflix already does this. They all will just copy each other. Eventually ads will come for the top tier levels too. Enough is never quite enough for these people.

I've been getting a lot of mileage from this.

I have prime. I torrent their content anyway as they don’t play nice with vpn.

Then why do you pay for it?
- Free 2 day shipping
- Simp subs for twitch thots.

not. if. you. sail. the. high. seas. wear. a. rubber. i. mean. use. a. vpn. ho. ho. ho.

I'm proud to say I pirated the fallout show

I have Prime and still pirated it, because the website and app are such a mess
Oh boy, looks like we've got ourselves a swashbuckling pirate in the comment section! Avast ye, matey, 'cause I'm about to drop some knowledge bombs on your scurvy-ridden ship. Here's why pirating the Fallout TV show is about as cool as a ghoul's armpit.

First off, let's get real: pirating is straight-up stealing, plain and simple. You're swiping that sweet, sweet content without paying a single bottlecap for it. Sure, you might think you're some kind of digital Robin Hood, sticking it to the greedy corporations. But guess what? Those corporations employ real people, talented folks who put in blood, sweat, and maybe a few stimpaks to create the show you're plundering. So, unless you're raiding their office and demanding a cutlass to your throat, you're just a lowly thief.

Secondly, let's talk consequences. When you pirate the Fallout TV show, you're not just giving the finger to the suits in their ivory towers. You're screwing over the very people who made the damn thing. These artists, writers, and actors poured their souls into creating a post-apocalyptic masterpiece for us to enjoy. And how do you repay them? By snatching it from the digital high seas, denying them the reward they rightfully deserve. It's like slapping a Deathclaw in the face and expecting it to thank you.

Lastly, let's address the big picture. Your piracy antics don't just affect one show, my friend. They send shockwaves through the entire industry. When creators see their hard work getting pillaged, they become less likely to take risks and push the boundaries of their craft. So, congrats, you're contributing to a world of bland, cookie-cutter content. And let's not forget the ripple effect on your fellow fans. Your actions normalize piracy, making it seem like stealing is the new cool. Newsflash: it's not. So, if you want to show some respect for the people who make the stuff you love and ensure a vibrant, creative landscape, drop the Jolly Roger and start supporting the legit channels.

Arr matey, there you have it. Pirating the Fallout TV show might make you feel like a rebellious pirate, but in reality, you're just a landlubber stealing from hardworking artists. So, shiver me timbers and do the right thing—pay for your entertainment and support the creative minds behind it. Otherwise, you'll be walking the plank of cultural bankruptcy. Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life is not for me, and it shouldn't be for you either.
- Too long, didn't read, too busy enjoying pirated content streamed from my home server.
- Was this GPT4?
- And how do you repay them? By snatching it from the digital high seas, denying them the reward they rightfully deserve. It's like slapping a Deathclaw in the face and expecting it to thank you.
  
  They've already been paid so you're not snatching anything from them.
  
  You kind of assume that if someone hadn't pirated it then they'd have paid to see it. The reality I'd they'd probably not have watched it at all. I haven't watched the fall out show yet. Therefore I must also be "denying them the reward they rightfully deserve"
  
  The use of steaming was in the rise and piracy falling all through the 2010s. Why? Corporations were offering a good service at a good point. Over the last few years they've been making the services progressively worse and the price point progressively worse. The market has reacted and piracy has increased. Again you've fallen into thinking that if people didn't have the option to pirate they'd pay for the service to get the content, I however think that many just wouldn't consume the content at all.
- While I appreciate the devotion to theming, this is such a bootlicking comment. You do realize that the people that made the show have already been paid, yes? Piracy is not theft, especially when half the people in this comment section are saying that they are pirating it alongside their active Amazon prime subscription.
- You said it doesn't effect the show after talking about how it effects the show.
  
  Stealing is a very cool crime. Especially from Amazon.
  
  You're just a square.
- I really don't give a shit about a company like Amazon that gaslights its employees into not voting for an union through a bullshit campain, that sabotages said votes, and that overworks them to the point they are forced to piss in bottles and shit in bags.
  
  I kinda hope they fucking sink to be honest.
- tldr
- I showed this to people at work today, we were in tears laughing 😂
- i only bothered to read the last bit so - stealing from the artists? Ha! that's words of someone who doesn't know how the film/TV show industry works. All artists (spare for maybe the actors, depending on their contract) already got paid, maybe they got a bonus for the popularity of the show, but they don't own the rights to the show and therefore receive fuck all after that.

Inb4 "the pirates are destroying the industry"

Prime video could absolutely get worse, don't kid yourself.

Wow, what happened to paying for things supporting the product and not needing ads?

You're forgetting one important thing - Bezos needs more money! Line must go up. Always. At any cost.
- yeah, companies gotta do what a companies gotta do. and we get NO say.

I'm surprised they think this is useful... if I've paused a video it's because I'm answering the phone or front door, making a coffee, going for a shit etc... I'm almost never going to see these ads 🤷🏻‍♂️

I unsubbed from prime last year once the ads were announced on prime video.

There's no reason to have it anymore imo.

A VPN sub is like $40 a year and that lets me get any media I want.

Free Shipping without prime starts at orders over $35. Who doesn't spend at least $35 in 2024?

Further justifying my commitment to avoiding Prime at all costs.

I avoid Amazon as much as possible. And Walmart. Fuck those assholes.

Looking more like the right decision i made to drop prime last year

I’ll stay subbed but I wont be seeing the ads, matey.

I unsubbed years ago.

Yeah I don't use prime video but as soon as I saw they were going to add ads, that opens the door for them to make their app shitty as hell.

Glad I dropped prime 1.5 years ago. I'll never pay monthly for something with ads. If I pay monthly for software, it better treat me like royalty.

That is why most of us dropped cable, $80+ for 10 mins of ads in a "30" min show

Wait... I already now get annoying ads in the middle of watching a show. Now they want to add more ads to Prime Video? That's absolutely ridiculous.

Ill just give the Amazon products that are advertised 1 star reviews. Enough people start doing that maybe we can do what helldiver did.

Spread democracy?

I dont like it, but I can deal with ads while paused. But its also just an entry point for them to see how much they can sneak it. Its becoming cable TV all over again, with ads making their way in, despite paying for the service.

Not surprised at all lol I am tempted to just start using Jellyfin and shop from sites that don't do this to their "premium" users.

Did they make a deal with VLC player?

?

This is the best summary I could come up with:

In Prime Video's case, pausing the program will bring up "a translucent ad featuring brand messaging and imagery, along with an 'Add to Cart' and 'Learn More'" overlay, per Amazon.

On the other hand, Amazon has not released research publicly on how much constant ad viewing can impact the user experience or interest in a streaming service.

Still, Amazon claimed today that Prime Video ads reach an average of 200 million people monthly.

The Hub Entertainment Media survey claims that Amazon has a higher ad-based to ad-free ratio of subscribers than all other video streaming services examined, including Netflix, Max, and Hulu.

Like all streamers, Amazon is toeing a fine line between using ads to boost the average revenue it makes per user and aggravating subscribers to the point of cancellation.

Amazon is already facing a lawsuit regarding ads on Prime Video that seeks class-action certification and was filed by people who purchased annual subscriptions.

The original article contains 714 words, the summary contains 155 words. Saved 78%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

Did everyone not just pirate this series? It seems like Game of Thrones level pirate content, who would pay for that.

If I'm being honest, I can handle an ad in my pause menu as long as it doesn't interfere with the rest of operating the device. If I can unpause and reach the closed captioning or audio menu, fine, whatever. What really gets my goat is pre-roll and mid-roll ads. Can't stand them.

I’m not bashing your opinion, if you don’t mind it that’s cool.

I do mind it. I cancelled prime years ago already because two day shipping somehow was never two day, so I’ll never see one of these pause ads.

That being said, I mind the idea of it a lot because I often pause to see something on the screen. Be it a text message in a show or something else written/printed, the cinematography, the lighting, the outfits, etc…. Fuck if I ever want an ad thrown up blocking the actual content I want to inspect in more detail.
- No I get it. I don't like them, but I can live with it if I have to. Luckily my local library has enough DVDs to fill my Jellyfin server. :3
On a free service sure, on something you are paying for? fuck off.

https://i.imgur.com/3EQnww7.jpeg

Mmhmmm.

Yeah I already know about this. Also as a long time prime subscriber we have had ads longer than you'd expect. It first started as ads for Amazon products and also previews for other Amazon shows. It doesn't surprise me that there are pause screen ads now like other streaming services.

I wish the high seas had better quality. So much isn't available in 4k at least in the waters I've checked out.

It is for me.

im pretty sure I have already seen this.

Amazon Prime is absolute dogshit anyway. Fallout wasn’t even that good, I don’t know why it got such a warm reception. Probably because people had such low hopes for it. Rings of Power was a billion dollar investment and only 30% of people finished the whole series.

I had forgotten all about the Rings of Power. Never saw it. Loved listening to the super fans talk about it. Wasn't generally received well at all
- It just wasn't well written. Pretty pictures can only take a mediocre story so far
Let's be honest, one of the main pulls of that show is the main character is an attractive woman. I haven't seen the show, but I've seen the oogling over her.

Hold on, I gotta watch a Charmin commercial before my toilet 🚽 will flush for me....you know, my toilet that I purchased for my restroom. ....it's coming, laugh now but you, know it! Cha-cha-cha! Charmin!

Well, then are not going to see my money anymore, that's for sure.

Acceptable.