I think we had Prime before streaming even started, so that was like a bonus.
But lately we hardly use it. The site is so janky and bloated with trash, I’d rather pay shipping and buy directly from a brand website or a normal retailer. Most have free shipping nowadays anyway.
I just bought an Apple USB wall adapter from Amazon because Best Buy was out of them. I spent like 20 minutes inspecting it and the package and watching videos about how to make sure it isn’t counterfeit. Buying a $20 thing shouldn’t be a stressful ordeal.
Naw, I was too. Haven't been for a year or two, but I've only ever subscribed to them for the shipping. Barely used their streaming when I did cause, also, yarr 🏴☠️
Imagine for a second you were a paid member of a gym, but decided to do most of your exercise outside the gym you just paid for.
That's most streaming platforms for a large amount of people. They're so inconvenient that people will pay for them, and still not use the service they paid for.
A damning indictment of modern day streaming platforms tbh.
If you're selfhosting then you should consider Jellyfin. It does all the important stuff Plex does without the ever-increasing bloat as they try to monetize it.
If you subscribe to other channels via Amazon Prime (e.g., Paramount+ through the Prime app), they already serve you 70-90s unskippable ads. Often ads for the very show you are about to watch. It's infuriating.
If I were paying for it myself it would be totally unacceptable. Since I'm just using someone else's account, it still makes me mad but I'll tolerate it.
There have been many items I've looked at or bought, mostly from small-ish manufacturers, that are only available through amazon due to the manufacturer not have the resources to handle all the logistics and web store that come with selling through amazon. I do everything I can to avoid buying from them because I can't stand their bull shit.
If you live remote, say, an hour or more from real shopping and such it’s the way to get fast delivery on anything, though Walmart does ok with this, though their “fast” is fairly unreliable. (Great for front door delivery of kitty litter, dog food, etc)
But no, most people don’t need it because most people don’t live remote.
Amazon is set to introduce adverts to its Prime Video streaming service in 2024 as it seeks to put more cash into creating TV shows and films.
UK Prime customers, along with those in the US, Germany and Canada, will see ads early next year unless they subscribe for an "ad-free" option at an additional cost.
At the moment, a Prime subscription, which includes free one-day delivery on goods as well as access to its streaming service, costs £8.99 per month, or £95 a year, in the UK.
The company said it would get in touch with Prime members a few weeks before ads are introduced to show how to sign-up for the ad-free option if they wish to.
Live event broadcasts, like sports matches, will still include adverts even for those who sign up to the ad-free option.
Data previously released by analysts Kantar showed that people cut back on video streaming services in their droves last year as they sought out different ways to deal with the spike in the cost of living.
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There is something that I really don’t get. Aren’t we close to critical advertisement mass by now? With all the silly advertising at this point, Amazon, for example, must be advertising on Disney+, while Disney+ is advertising on Netflix.
We were already leaning towards replacing it with WalMart+ before this announcement. It used to be worth it when it was cheaper and got you next day delivery, but those are gone. We have little use for it's various features, so we figure give W+ a try for a year, it's cheaper, and seems to cover our needs, though there's a good chance that'll be a one and done thing, since I don't think we'll find it worth it, but I don't see us going back to Prime.
Even though I have prime, I think I've used their video service like 2 or 4 times. The interface is shit and the included media was sub par the vast majority of the time unless I wanted to pay to watch something that wasn't included.
They recently updated the app interface across the board, it is much more like Netflix or others streaming apps than it was. They’ve gotten a lot of good original content and taken over some things that were cancelled elsewhere (like The Expanse).
I don’t like this change although it seems they’re all doing it, but their platform and content are pretty good these days. They are also one of the cheaper services these days if you just do a video sub, and they don’t charge a premium for 4k.