Amazon is pushing subscribers toward its ad-supported future with a sharp price increase for commercial-free viewing. Starting April 10th, the company's rebranded Prime Video Ultra tier will cost $4.99 per month - a 67% jump from the current $2.99 ad-free option. The move comes two years after Amazon controversially switched all Prime members to ads by default, and it signals how streaming giants are increasingly betting on advertising revenue over subscription fees.
Amazon just made watching Prime Video without ads significantly more expensive. The e-commerce giant announced it's rebranding its ad-free tier as Prime Video Ultra and hiking the price to $4.99 per month - a 67% increase from the current $2.99 option. The change takes effect April 10th, and it's the latest sign that streaming platforms see advertising, not subscriptions, as their primary revenue engine.
The price jump comes with some sweeteners. According to Amazon's announcement, Ultra subscribers will get access to 4K and UHD streaming quality, which Amazon is now calling "exclusive" to the tier. The company is also bumping simultaneous streams from three to five, and increasing the download limit from 25 titles to 100. But those perks might not soften the blow for users who've been paying $2.99 since Amazon introduced the ad-free option.
This isn't Amazon's first controversial streaming move. Two years ago, the company switched all Prime Video users to an ad-supported experience by default, forcing anyone who wanted commercial-free viewing to pay extra. At the time, Amazon positioned it as a way to "continue investing in compelling content" - but the reality was clear: advertising dollars were becoming too lucrative to ignore.
The timing of this price increase reveals Amazon's confidence in its streaming position. Prime Video comes bundled with Amazon Prime memberships, which cost $139 annually or $14.99 monthly. That built-in distribution gives Amazon leverage that standalone streamers like or don't have. Even if users balk at the Ultra pricing, Amazon knows most will stick with the ad-supported tier rather than lose access to Prime Video entirely.
