Amazon Prime: ‘No UHD premium’
November 12, 2014
By Colin Mann
Amazon has confirmed it will not charge Prime Instant Video members who own a 4K compatible television a premium to stream Ultra-HD content.
Michael Paull, Amazon’s Vice President of Digital Video said: “We want to be the best entertainment destination for customers. We’re confident that offering Ultra-HD content, whether it’s a TV series or a film, will help create the ultimate viewing experience and can’t wait to start making it available this year.”
“We’ve already announced that the Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga: Cheek To Cheek LIVE! concert will be available in the premium resolution as well as Amazon Original Series including Transparent, Alpha House and the upcoming Mozart in the Jungle series, and we’re excited to unveil even more titles that Prime members and customers can watch in Ultra HD later this year and into next year,” he advised.
“Amazon Prime members will have access to a great selection of Ultra-HD content on Prime Instant Video at no additional cost,” he confirmed.
Amazon’s approach is in contrast to competitor Netflix, which revealed mid-October that it would charge an extra $3 a month to new users in the US to view its 4K output, but the Ultra-HD content will be available for no additional fee when subscribing to its $11.99 ‘family’ bundle.
Existing subscribers, that is those already on the $9 month plan, get the 4K upgrade without paying the extra fee.