A class action lawsuit has been filed against Amazon by a California resident and Amazon Prime subscriber who is unhappy with the company's implementation of ads on Prime Video. The lawsuit alleges misleading advertising and breaches of consumer protection laws. The plaintiff is seeking to have the lawsuit certified as a class action, covering people who paid for an annual Amazon Prime membership before December 28th of last year. They are also requesting various forms of relief, including an injunction against Amazon's deceptive conduct, damages, and a jury trial.
The lawsuit claims that consumers who subscribed to Amazon Prime before the change reasonably expected ad-free streaming of movies and TV shows for the duration of their subscription. The plaintiff argues that Amazon's marketing of the service misled annual subscription consumers and deprived them of their reasonable expectations when the automatic ads were introduced.
Amazon has declined to comment on the lawsuit. When the company first announced its plans to introduce limited ads to Prime Video content, it stated that it wanted to continue investing in compelling content and increase that investment over time. It also promised to inform Prime members about the introduction of ads and provide information on how to sign up for the ad-free option.
Ad-supported plans have become more common among streaming platforms as they seek to generate additional revenue. However, this move by Amazon has faced backlash from some Prime subscribers who were not expecting ads to be included in their subscription.