Amazon Prime Video is in hot water with its audience after rolling out mid-stream ads for paying subscribers. While users were already shelling out for content access, they now find themselves forced to sit through 3 to 4 unskippable ads unless they upgrade to a more expensive plan. This has left many feeling cheated and frustrated.
To control the damage, Prime Video has launched a fresh promotional campaign highlighting its vast catalog of shows and films that cater to Indian audiences. But viewers are calling out the strategy as a diversion. Social media is flooded with complaints, especially from users on X and Reddit, with many pointing out how eerily similar this looks to Netflix’s “Netflix for All” campaign from the past. That campaign, too, focused on content diversity while failing to address core subscriber frustrations like rising prices and disappearing shows.
Users aren’t buying into the distraction this time. They argue that showcasing blockbuster titles won’t help if the basic experience is compromised. Many now say they feel more like ad targets than valued subscribers. Unlike earlier times when Prime Video was considered the more balanced, user-first OTT option, it is slowly drawing comparisons to Netflix, which has faced similar criticisms in the past.
The hashtag #ItsOnAmazonPrime has trended recently, but ironically, it is now being used by viewers to complain about what else is “on Amazon Prime” besides showsads, fees, and frustration.
In a time when attention spans are short and platform loyalty is even shorter, Prime Video might need more than meme marketing to win back goodwill. Because once viewers switch, they rarely come back. And in a crowded OTT race, trust is the one currency no platform can afford to lose.
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