Amazon will bring ads to movies and shows on Prime Video in India starting June 17, over a year after introducing ads in markets including the U.S., U.K., Germany, and Canada.
On Tuesday, Amazon emailed Prime members in India to announce the rollout of “limited advertisements” on content streaming on Prime Video. Amazon originally announced in October that it would serve Prime Video ads in India starting sometime this year, without sharing specifics.
A spokesperson told TechCrunch that Amazon is also introducing an ad-free Prime Video add-on at an introductory price of 699 Indian rupees (roughly $8) a year or 129 Indian rupees (roughly $1.52) a month that Prime members will be able to purchase on top of their existing membership. The spokesperson didn’t share additional details, however.
Last year, Amazon launched a $3 monthly add-on in the U.S. to offer an ad-free experience to Prime Video viewers. That move reportedly helped the tech giant secure more than $1.8 billion in ad spending commitments for its video streaming service. The company revealed this week that more than 130 million viewers in the U.S. are watching Prime Video with ads, up from 115 million last year.
Alongside Prime Video, Amazon has MX Player in India that includes ads to help the company generate additional advertising revenue. The service, which Amazon acquired from Times Internet last year, offers a subscription to limit the ads users see.
Amazon Prime in India starts at 299 Indian rupees (roughly $3.50) a month and goes up to 1,499 Indian rupees (roughly $17.57).
Similar to Amazon, Netflix and Disney+ also have ad-supported plans in the U.S. and other markets.
