Prime Video users blast 'out of control' app forcing them to watch up to nine adverts in a row
Amazon Prime members are furious after an update has left them wading through adverts
Amazon Prime Video users have blasted the app as ‘out of control’ – after bombarding them with adverts following a controversial update.
Earlier this year, the streaming giant began showing ads to Prime Video customers after introducing extra fees for those wanting an ad-free streaming experience. Up until now, there was often just a single advertisment per film or in a set number of episodes to watch. But now, some viewers have been bombarded with as many as nine ads in a row while attempting to watch something.
Many took to social media platforms such as Reddit to vent their frustrations. One user raged: “Last night I was forced to watch nine ads in a row. Repeatedly. My bf and I discovered if you pause a show, an ad will pop up and bounce around the screen. Then when I resumed, it played 3-4 ads. I paused right after them to speak to my bf and when I resumed, it gave me 3-4 more ads!! Anytime you rewind, pause, or fast forward, 3-4 more ads. They want you to pay more for the luxury of not having ads, but that seems like cheap behaviour to me.
“Looking at the Prime Video reviews, it seems a LOT of 1 stars are coming in, mostly about the ads. I really hope they dial it back a bit. It’s just out of control.” A second said: “It’s become a common thing for many streaming apps to play ads after resuming from pause.
“I think they’ve figured out that you’re going to actually be sitting there when you resume and are more likely to watch the ads.” Another user posted: “You pay $99 a year for something that includes ad-free streaming and 2 day shipping.
“Then over three years they increase the price to $139, the 2 day shipping is 4 days 50 per cent of the time, and the streaming is now 50 per cent intrusive ads that make you want to watch something else.. Would you pay *more* for a service that is *worse* than it used to be?”
Another chipped in: “All you have to do is forget about any PRIME content, like series. No ads on movies that are rented & paid for-you own that content. Or just use apps -fire stick is best for accessing them. Impossible to escape the paid apps, sad. But you can cancel/re-enroll if you get sick of the monthly charges. For sports, our son just cancels when his teams are out of season, then re-enrolls on Hulu.”
Other changes
As well as introducing more commercials, Amazon also recently axed other features from the basic Prime Video subscription, which are now only accessible with the ad-free membership. Customers can now no longer watch Dolby Vision HDR with the basic membership or Dolby Atmos surround sound without paying extra. Amazon has since defended the changes, with Vice President Jay Marine saying the firm is looking to plough more money into content for members.
Want to be across new releases from Netflix, Prime Video, Disney and more? Sign up to the Mirror’s Streaming newsletter here