Amazon could be launching an ad-supported streaming service

Amazon is one of the big names in video streaming at the moment, and it sounds like the company might be ready to expand its offerings by launching an ad-supported streaming service to function alongside Prime Instant Video.

This is according to the New York Post who claims that the retail giant is working on the new service, and comes following a report from the Wall Street Journal back in March that Amazon denied.

It’s been speculated that any ad-supported service would be an alternative for people who wanted to watch Amazon’s video offerings without having to sign up for a Prime subscription. That would just be in the US, where having a $99 a year Prime subscription is the only way to access the service. Here in the UK you can also access Prime Instant Video by paying £6 a month, negating the need for a £79 annual fee if you’re not fond of next day delivery.

So what does this mean for us? It’s not totally clear, but it’s possible that Amazon Prime Video with ads could be available at a discounted price, or free like Spotify basic. But we’re just speculating.

The fact that Amazon does have its own established advertising network, Amazon Media Group, does mean that it’s in a good position to have an advert-supported streaming service. But just because it can, doesn’t mean it will. We’ll keep you updated if any more information reveals itself.