- Ad-free Prime video is going up to $4.99 in the US
- It's also being rebranded as Amazon Prime Video Ultra
- 4K streaming is now exclusive to the paid tier
Price hikes are now par for the course when it comes to the best streaming services, and Amazon is now charging more for ad-free Prime Video in the US: from next month the cost is going up from $2.99 to $4.99, though you do get some extra benefits rolled in.
The tier is also going to be rebranded as Prime Video Ultra. This is the plan above what you get included with an Amazon Prime subscription — as well as removing the ads, you get more offline downloads, more concurrent streams, and Dolby Atmos audio.
In return for the extra $2 a month, Amazon is giving Prime Video Ultra subscribers 100 downloads rather than 25, and 5 concurrent streams (up from 3). On the bundled Prime Video plan, you get 50 downloads (up from 25), and 4 concurrent streams (up from 3).
Sadly, 4K/UHD streams are going away on the standard plan — this is now a paid-for, Ultra exclusive, and the streaming service included with Prime Video will be capped at 1080p. Dolby Vision is being added for those who aren't paying extra, however.
'Aligns with other major streaming services'
Ad-free Prime video going up in price and being renamed to Prime Video Ultra. from r/cordcutters
"Delivering ad-free streaming with premium features requires significant investment, and this structure aligns with other major streaming services while ensuring customers have the flexibility to choose how they want to watch," says Amazon.
The company also notes that certain types of programming, including live TV and sports events, may come with ads included even if you are paying for Ultra. Amazon has been investing heavily in sports content, which may be part of the reason for the price hike.
A quick temperature check on Reddit suggests people are now resigned to paying more and more indefinitely, for all their streaming services – though one user said they "immediately cancelled" and that the new Ultra plan was "not worth it".
For now, these changes only apply to the US, but the ad-free upgrade is available worldwide. It seems like only a matter of time before Amazon's international customers will have to pay more for ad-free viewing and 4K streaming.
