Amazon Prime Video has become what it is sworn to destroy and its subscribers will never forgive it

On March 14, Prime Video informed its subscribers that it would include commercials in its catalog contents starting April 11, 2024. Anyone who wants to avoid it will have to pay an additional cost of 50 pesos, he explained. The news sparked anger among users subscribing to the platform.

“Our goal is to have significantly fewer ads compared to open TV,” specifies one of the paragraphs of the statement issued by the company. That's a big part of why people are upset. One complaint is that they choose this streaming option because they don't want to see ads and feel it's unfair that they have to spend more to not suffer from it.

Those people who are able to pay for a subscription to a platform do so mainly for two reasons: to have the opportunity to choose the content they prefer at any time and not to suffer from advertising sites that interrupt the series or films of their choice. The Prime Video notification hit them like a bucket of ice water.

“Well, I'm supposed to pay the subscription so I don't see the ads.” “It's better to get your shit removed from Amazon Music in exchange for ads.” “You've changed traditional TV full of commercials for live streaming, and now it turns out they'll be showing commercials too. Wasn't that part of the benefits of the subscription?” “I feel like these types of things are a setback in terms of entertainment. I mean, do we agree that those of us who rent these services are because we don't want to see a damn commercial?”

Adding to these comments of annoyance at the inclusion of ads are those others expressing dissatisfaction with having to pay the additional fee, which means going from $99 per month to $149. “Now we will have to (optionally) pay for no ads.” “We've exhausted the beauty of Prime Video, and now there will be commercials or bundles so you have to pay to not see them.” “This is madness.” “I'm definitely changing platforms.”

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There are also users who show clear hostility and rejection of open TV, considering it “inferior” in terms of programming quality and method of consumption. They express a feeling of “betrayal” by Prime Video and They complain that the platform makes them feel exactly the same discomfort as sitting down to watch what the open channels broadcast.

Even with memes, network users are making fun of the situation. But through humor, they criticize streaming for resorting to practices they have criticized and sworn to eradicate for the benefit of the viewer as a consumer. “Platforms that vow to destroy traditional TV and its invasive advertising. “I have become what I swore to destroy,” one post reads.

Let's remember that with streaming platforms having access to a variety of entertainment that can be enjoyed at home or on mobile, a large portion of the audience celebrated it because they were given alternatives so as not to feel forced to consume content they don't like. Such as: soap operas, news broadcasts, recurring programs from yesterday, and reality programs.

Likewise, advertising is one of the pejoratives associated with Mexican television. The phenomenon of commercials also extends to the experience of attending a movie theater and carries between 15 and 20 minutes of advertising before the start of the movie. Advertisements, by the way, are not always previews of upcoming releases. On television, the range of minutes in favor of advertising ranges between three and five minutes, depending on the time, channel, and relevance of the content.

What happens with Prime Video also happens with Netflix. The difference is that the N platform handles another discourse with its subscribers. Those who pay the monthly subscription for the Basic plan, which is $139, receive notifications with the option to change to the Standard plan with ads, which costs $99.

A special case is the case of FIX. Subsidiary to Televisa, the company that owns the rights to broadcast football matches (a sport that is one of the most consumed and watched contents on open television), it has transferred the matches of some teams to the platform to increase the number of subscribers, who when the contractors know in advance that there will be commercials.

“We are now in the worst case scenario: open pay TV but what pays more becomes pay TV, but they don't even open it again with commercials. Shame,” reads one protest that sums up the spirit of discomfort Prime Video has caused with its notice.

Many of its subscribers are hurt by the news because they chose that platform because it has a wide catalog of current movies, Classic and famous films from different decades, apart from a wide repertoire of documentaries that cannot be found in other options, let alone open TV.

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