Prime Video Ultra: Amazon puts 4K behind additional paywall

Prime Video users in the USA will soon only be able to watch 4K content if they pay for a new premium subscription. Prime Video Ultra bundles ad-free viewing and 4K resolution for an additional 5 US dollars per month on top of the Prime subscription price. Regular Prime users will only see series and films on Prime Video in Full HD (1080p, only a quarter of the 4K pixels) in the future.

Amazon Prime costs 15 US dollars per month in the USA. Previously, US users paid an additional 3 US dollars per month if they wanted to watch Prime ad-free. 4K resolution was included in the normal Prime subscription even without the additional option. So, both options are fundamentally deteriorating: Prime Video with a Prime subscription loses access to 4K content, while the option for ad-free viewing becomes more expensive.

Small improvements

However, Prime Video Ultra offers some improvements that didn't exist before: In the future, you will be able to watch up to five streams simultaneously instead of three if you pay for the Ultra version of the streaming service. In addition, up to 100 downloads are allowed instead of the previously possible 25.

Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos will be exclusive "Ultra" features, while users of the normal Prime subscription will still be able to see the standard HDR format. Amazon wants to console these users with some small upgrades: In the future, 4 instead of 3 parallel streams will be possible in the normal subscription, as well as 50 downloads instead of the previous 25. However, this will not compensate most users for the loss of 4K resolution.

Announced for USA only

Amazon plans to offer the new subscription offer in the USA on April 10. So far, there is no information on whether and when Prime Video Ultra, including subscription deteriorations, will also come to Germany. However, it is common for Amazon to test subscription changes in its home market first before they are implemented more broadly.

In Germany, Amazon is currently facing pressure from consumer advocates regarding Prime Video: According to consumer advocates, over 200.000 people have now registered for a class action lawsuit by the Consumer Protection Center Saxony against Amazon's streaming service Prime Video. The Consumer Protection Center is suing against the introduction of advertising in Prime Video, which it considers a hidden price increase.

(dahe)