Ad-supported SD viewing, free two-day delivery; Amazon quietly tests a cheaper Prime membership

Amazon, the technology and e-commerce giant, is quietly testing a weathered-down version of its flagship Prime membership.  

Called Prime Lite and costing Rs 999 a year, as per Techcrunch, it is a cost-effective alternative to the regular Prime membership priced at Rs 1,499.

Amazon launched the Prime membership program in 2016 in India at an inaugural fee of Rs 499 a year. It was increased to Rs 999 a year and then in 2021, it was made to Rs 1,499.  

This cutting of cost brings with itself a trimming of features as well. The most noteworthy is the ad-supported SD quality Prime Video which until now only offered an ad-free HD viewing experience.

There is, however, no cut on content availability; users can watch everything Prime Video has to offer in India.

It is pertinent to note Prime Video’s rival Netflix had announced an ad-supported plan in 2022 after quarterly results revealed a decline in paid subscriptions, a meltdown from an aggressive high Netflix enjoyed during the lockdown years.

This is, however, not Amazon’s first tryst with ad-supported viewing. It had during the 2022 India tour of New Zealand featured advertisements on its platform, a first.

It also doled out add-supported content on miniTV, a video streaming option on the Amazon shopping app.  

Prime Video is not the only vertical under the Prime Lite membership seeing a loss of weighty features. Subscribers are offered free two-day delivery instead of one when it comes to shopping.

Adding to this, Prime Music, an audio streaming app exclusive to Prime subscribers is, as per Only Tech, missing from Prime Lite’s portfolio of features.

Keeping in trend with quiet launches, Amazon, in December 2022, launched Prime Gaming which allows Prime subscribers free access to games and their in-game content.