Amazon puts 4K behind a new Prime Video paywall
Amazon announced that starting April 10, Prime subscribers will need a new “Prime Video Ultra” tier to watch supported titles in 4K and use Dolby Atmos, while the existing ad-free add-on price increases from $3/month to $5/month. Prime Video Ultra will also raise limits for simultaneous streams (to five) and downloads (to 100), while the cheaper tier retains Dolby Vision with increased streams and downloads. The article contextualizes the move within Amazon’s prior shift to ads for Prime Video and reported increases in ad load over time.
Key Takeaways
- Effective April 10, the ad-free add-on for Prime Video increases from $3/month to $5/month (on top of Prime).
- 4K playback and Dolby Atmos will require the new “Prime Video Ultra” tier; they will no longer be available on the standard ad-free option.
- Prime Video Ultra raises simultaneous streams from 3 to 5 and downloads from 25 to 100.
- The cheaper tier retains Dolby Vision, increases streams to 4, and raises downloads to 50.
- The move follows Prime Video’s shift to ads in 2024 and reported increases in ad load over time.
Why It Matters
This is the “quality tax” era going mainstream: after introducing ads, Amazon is now unbundling premium codecs and resolution as a separate monetization lever. For competitors, it reinforces the playbook—ads for scale, then charge extra for perceived “home theater” value (4K/Atmos) rather than raising base prices. For device and delivery teams, it’s a reminder that feature entitlement is becoming tier-dependent, complicating QA matrices and customer support. For strategists, the meme is clear: streaming bundles are quietly becoming telecom-like—pay more for fewer interruptions and better bits.
Read full article at arstechnica.com
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