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Canadians will soon see commercials on Amazon Prime Video

Click to play video: 'Ads are coming to Amazon Prime Video'
Ads are coming to Amazon Prime Video
WATCH: Ads are coming to Amazon Prime Video – Sep 24, 2023

Amazon’s Prime Video has picked the date when it’ll begin showing commercials on its streaming service in Canada.

Representatives for the company told The Canadian Press they’ve marked Feb. 5, 2024, for the launch of ad breaks within its TV and film programming, which includes action series “Reacher” and the “Mr. Dressup” documentary.

Click to play video: 'Mr. Dressup documentary celebrates legacy of iconic Canadian entertainer'
Mr. Dressup documentary celebrates legacy of iconic Canadian entertainer

The ad tier will now be the default of the retailer’s Prime membership, which includes discounts on shipping. However, subscribers can opt out of commercials by paying an additional $2.99 per month.

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The announcement comes as streaming companies look for new ways to boost revenue, which has led many to introduce ad tiers on their cheapest monthly plans while raising the price of ad-free packages.

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Prime Video, which first outlined plans to launch “limited ads” in September, says it will screen “meaningfully fewer ads than linear TV and other streaming TV providers.”

Viewers in the U.S., where Amazon already operates a free, ad-supported streaming service called Freevee, will begin seeing commercials on Prime Video a week earlier than Canada, on Jan. 29, 2024.

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