Amazon Prime Video to roll out ads in India

OTT platform Amazon Prime Video has announced that it will officially begin carrying limited advertisements, ending the long‑running promise of ad‑free streaming bundled with Prime membership. 

The notice, which went out to subscribers by email on Tuesday, mentioned that the update will be rolled out starting June 17, 2025. 

Though this development has been in the works since last year, Prime Video users in India will begin seeing ads on movies and TV shows starting next month—unless they opt for an ad-free upgrade. This optional add-on is priced at Rs 129 per month or Rs 699 per year, in addition to the Rs 1,499 annual Prime membership.

According to the company’s email to customers, the Rs 699 price for the ad-free add-on is a discounted rate, with the original listed price being Rs 999. However, the streaming platform has not specified how long the discounted pricing will be available.

“This will allow us to continue investing in compelling content and keep increasing that investment over a long period of time. We aim to have meaningfully fewer ads than TV channels and other streaming services,” said the company.

Amazon has clarified that all other Prime benefits, which includes same-day delivery and cashback offers, will remain unchanged. The company also noted that no action is needed from users unless they choose to pay extra for an ad-free Prime Video experience.

Rivals such as Disney+ Hotstar already follow a tiered pricing model based on ad support. Its Premium (ad-free) plan is priced at Rs 299 per month, Rs 499 for three months, or Rs 1,499 annually.