Enlarge image
Prime Video logo: “Major contractual change”
Photo: Silas Stein/dpa
According to a report in the Handelsblatt, the Federal Association of Consumer Organizations (VZBV) wants to take legal action against the Amazon streaming service Prime Video. The reason is the company's announcement that it will offer films and series with advertising "to a limited extent" from February 5th.
The consumer advocates see this as “a significant change to the contract,” for which the consent of the users would have had to be obtained, which did not happen.
Customers were informed by email in the first week of January that they only had to take action if they wanted to book the ad-free option for the surcharge. If they don't respond, they will be shown advertising from February 5th. From the VZBV's point of view, the change is also a "hidden price increase" because a surcharge of 2.99 euros per month will be charged for an ad-free offer in the future.
First warned off
VZBV boss Ramona Pop told the Handelsblatt that Amazon should not simply present its Prime Video customers with a fait accompli. This is a “disregard for consumer law”.
The VZBV had initially warned the German subsidiary “Amazon Digital Germany GmbH”, but now, according to the report, the lawsuit is being filed because of the unilateral approach. It should be submitted in the next few weeks. Prime Video users are “still entitled to the ad-free option for the previously contractually agreed amount,” said Pop.
Amazon Prime isn't the only streaming service with commercial breaks. Netflix, Disney+ and Wow had previously launched subscription versions with advertising onto the market. However, this was not about already paying customers who had previously taken out an ad-free subscription.
A Prime membership currently costs 8.99 euros per month or 89.90 euros annually. What exactly the advertising should look like and how much it impairs viewing pleasure was recently still unclear.
Apr