Amazon has announced a change in the Prime Video pricing structure. Starting April 10, its ad-free tier, called Ultra, will cost $4.99 per month, an increase from the current $2.99. This fee will be the only way to access 4K/UHD content, as this quality is removed from the standard Prime subscription. The measure comes two years after the introduction of ads on the platform.📺
4K quality and audio codecs become a premium product🎬
The technical move is clear: decoupling high resolution and advanced audio formats from the base package. Standard Prime subscribers will lose access to 4K and Dolby Vision in that resolution, although they will retain Vision in 1080p. The new Ultra plan consolidates these features, along with Dolby Atmos and more simultaneous devices, into a superior tier. This reflects a segmentation strategy where the best quality technology requires an additional payment.
The evolution of streaming: pay more for what you already had💸
It's a fascinating process. First they sell you a subscription with certain features. Then they introduce ads and charge extra to remove them. Now, they move key functions to a new, more expensive tier. Next step: maybe charge a supplement to avoid buffering. It seems the final business model is to have a basic subscription that only lets you see the home page.