[all new phil]

What’s the best streaming service for UI?

IPlayer tends to seem pretty good on the whole to me. Do they license it out at all?

Channel 4 is probably the one I’ve had the most issues with. Always seem to have programmes stopping part way through when I’m catching up on something.

[Neil Jones]

So Amazon Prime is jumping on the advertising bandwagon following Netflix and Disney+:
www.bbc.co.uk 

Amazon Prime Video content to start including ads next year - BBC News
Amazon says its Prime Video users will see ads on TV shows and movies unless the…
  Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Considering Amazon as a company as a whole turns over more than the GDP of a lot of countries, I fail to see how they can use the "To continue investing" argument to justify this. This company across all its arms and operations probably has more money than they know what to do with.

If you use the bulk of the other Prime benefits beside Video and free delivery, it's not that bad a deal in itself, though of course its all about shifting stock.

I suspect the advertising will be a copy of the Freevee model/way of doing it.

[LondonViewer]

Wonder what happens to those that pay the annual subscription.

[Neil Jones]

Wonder what happens to those that pay the annual subscription.

Probably the same that will happen when Disney+ introduces its new tariff - "From 1 November 2023, that price [£7.99/£79.90] will automatically increase to £10.99 a month or £109.90 for the year upfront if you pay Disney directly – though you won't pay the new price until your billing date on or after 6 December 2023. "

Presume Amazon will be the same, and since Disney are going to dump you on the new £10.99 package by default, you''ll have to opt out to go back to the previous package with ads. Wouldn't surprise me if Amazon is the same, as the US equivalent is something like an extra £2.50 a month based on US currency rates, so that's an extra £30...

[Stuart]

Considering Amazon as a company as a whole turns over more than the GDP of a lot of countries, I fail to see how they can use the "To continue investing" argument to justify this.  This company across all its arms and operations probably has more money than they know what to do with.

If you use the bulk of the other Prime benefits beside Video and free delivery, it's not that bad a deal in itself, though of course its all about shifting stock.

I suspect the advertising will be a copy of the Freevee model/way of doing it.

It's important to realise the difference between turnover and profit.  They actually operate on a very low profit margin for their main business.

They do invest a great deal, which is not subject to tax as with any other company doing the same. They also provide Prime Video/Freevee to customers like me who only paid originally just to use their rapid delivery service.

I can put up with adverts. I just make a cuppa or have a trip to the bathroom while they're on.

[Brekkie]

Yes - I have Prime Video because I have Prime and other than a bit of rugby I can't really think of anything on Prime Video I'd be inclined to subscribe to watch. The justification just doesn't wash - viewers will only see value if you spend on more content, rather than spend more on content. Paying $90m an episode for a series doesn't result in a product that looks any better on screen than paying $9m an episode.

[London Lite]

Prime Video doesn't have enough that I want to watch in the first place. Last show I watched on there was Picard.

So if they add a small charge, it won't affect me as I rarely use it in the first place.

[LondonViewer]

Probably the same that will happen when Disney+ introduces its new tariff - "From 1 November 2023, that price [£7.99/£79.90] will automatically increase to £10.99 a month or £109.90 for the year upfront if you pay Disney directly – though you won't pay the new price until your billing date on or after 6 December 2023. "

Presume Amazon will be the same, and since Disney are going to dump you on the new £10.99 package by default, you''ll have to opt out to go back to the previous package with ads.  Wouldn't surprise me if Amazon is the same, as the US equivalent is something like an extra £2.50 a month based on US currency rates, so that's an extra £30...

I was thinking more if you’ve just taken an annual. Would they put you on the ad free tier for the remainder of your 12 months…

[harshy]

I’m paying a subscription but on chrome I only get occasional 1080p I on a 1gbp internet connection so why does it do this?

[XIII]

SVOD with ads isn't really a new thing, Hulu in the US has it as does Discovery Plus globally. I suspect Amazon has realised the majority of their customers won't care, I mean the Fire tablets come in ad supported and non ad supported models so it's not like they've never had ads on their services,