Say Goodbye to a Major Streaming Service as Prime Video Officially Announces Phaseout

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The streaming service recently made one of its most significant updates since it began. Following an announcement in March, they swapped out their lower-priced, ad-free plan for a new, more premium option that costs more.

On April 10th, Prime Video replaced its ad-free plan with Prime Video Ultra. Amazon notified subscribers that the old plan would simply be renamed to Prime Video Ultra.

What Are Prime Ultra’s Changes?

The previous plan was a monthly subscription that users could stop at any time. It removed ads from all Prime Video profiles within an account.

However, the rule wasn’t absolute. Some Prime Video content still had ads, including free programs with ads, live television, and sports broadcasts.

As a big fan of ad-free streaming, I was happy to see the Ultra plan arrive, and thankfully it still keeps those pesky ads away! It does cost a little more though – it’s $4.99 a month, which is two dollars more than before. Good news is, if you’re committed to Prime Video, they now have an annual option for $45.99. That works out to a nice 23% discount compared to paying monthly, so it’s a pretty sweet deal if you plan on using it all year!

I’m really excited about the Ultra Plan! It’s getting a huge upgrade with 4K UHD video – the picture quality is incredible, four times sharper than regular HD. And the sound? It’s going to be amazing! They’re adding Dolby Atmos, which will make it feel like I’m actually in the movie.

Instead of cracking down on password sharing like Netflix and Disney+, Prime Video actually expanded its allowances. Their Prime Video Ultra plan now lets you stream on five devices at the same time, up from three – a big benefit for families or anyone with lots of viewers.

With Prime Video Ultra, you can download up to 100 movies and TV shows to watch offline. This is a significant upgrade from the previous ad-free plan, which only allowed downloads of 25 titles.

Amazon Prime Video Is Currently Thriving

A Prime Video subscription typically comes with an Amazon Prime membership, costing $14.99 per month or $139 per year in the United States. Available in 240 countries, Prime Video has become a leading streaming service, largely due to its mix of licensed shows and movies, and original content – especially after Amazon’s purchase of MGM Studios.

Besides streaming, the platform lets you rent or buy digital movies and shows, similar to Apple TV. It also offers subscriptions to other streaming services like Starz, Paramount+, MGM+, and AMC+ as add-ons. Recently, it added another service, which is a significant development in the competition among streaming platforms.

Mike Hopkins, a senior leader at Amazon MGM Studios and Prime Video, described Prime Video as a leading entertainment hub with a diverse range of high-quality shows and movies.

We’re excited to add Apple TV+ to Prime Video, making it even easier for our customers to find and enjoy all their favorite movies, shows, and events in one place. This expands our options and lets viewers personalize their streaming experience.

Amazon MGM Studios creates a variety of shows and movies, including popular titles like The Boys, Fallout, Heads of State, Reacher, Red One, Road House, The Accountant 2, Beast Games, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Scarpetta, Young Sherlock, and The Summer I Turned Pretty.

Prime Video Ultra is now available instead of the previous Ad Free plan.

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2026-06-02 13:36