Author: Dan Lawrence
| Posted 13 hours ago
Bad news European Amazon Prime members. Just like US users some six months ago, European Amazon Prime Video subscribers will soon get a price hike. The Hollywood Reporter revealed that in some European territories, prices will increase by a whopping 40%.
Amazon Prime Video users in Europe received the email no streaming subscriber wants to see, news of a price increase. The changes will take effect on September 15. The United Kingdom has the easiest treatment, with the monthly subscription to Amazon Prime Video rising 12.5% to £9 ($10.80) and the annual fee up 20% to £95 ($114). German users will pay 30% more for their annual fees at €80.90 ($90.95). Back in March, Amazon Prime Video became the market leader in Germany, overtaking Netflix in the region, and it will be interesting to see whether the price hikes will affect the streaming services standing in the country. Users who are worse off are those living in France, subscribers will pay 43% more, with annual fees jumping to €69.90 ($70.74).
Such a sharp price increase on Amazon Prime Video is cited for a myriad of reasons. The Financial Times reports that one of the reasons for Amazon’s price increase in Europe is inflation and a jump in operating costs. The price increases are also far more drastic than those faced by US customers, by a whopping 17%. Another reason is attributed to the increase in Amazon’s offerings, including new television series and movies. One of the biggest projects to land on Amazon Prime Video this year is The Rings of Power, a mega-budget extravaganza that takes audiences back to Middle-earth from September 2 onwards.
The Rings of Power — which features the powerful Lord of the Rings villain Sauron in its latest trailer — is rumored to have a budget of $462 million for the first season alone and is expected to cost Amazon at least $1 billion in the long run. Such a monumental budget for just one product will more than likely contribute to Amazon Prime Video price spikes not only in the United States, but now in Europe as well. However, last year IndieWire reported that Amazon was confident the money spent on Rings of Power would be recouped and defended the large investment, saying it was contributing to world-building, not just the budget for the first season.
