Amazon Prime members no longer get ad-free Twitch privileges
Instead, you'll have to pay $9 per month for Twitch Turbo like everyone else.
Two years after Amazon acquired Twitch in 2014, the latter announced that Prime members would get to stream content on the platform without ads. But those halcyon days are over, as the streaming platform has ended ad-free viewing for Prime subscribers. Now, the only way to watch video without advertisements is to sign up for the company's premiere service, Twitch Turbo.
Ultimately, the decision was about money, Twitch wrote in its blog, portraying the change as something that will help creators better rely on advertising "so they can get more support from their viewers for doing what they love." Twitch Prime benefits aren't going anywhere, the company stated, and the community should expect more and better free games, in-game loot, channel subscriptions, exclusive badges and more. Monthly Prime subscribers will get ad-free viewing until October 15th, while those who sign up annually (or whoever upgrades to one before September 14th) will be able to watch without advertisements until their membership is renewed.
Twitch might be getting big enough to renegotiate its arrangement with parent company Amazon, but that's not the only gaming bonus that Prime subscribers are losing. The shipping giant announced today that the service's 20 percent discount on pre-ordering games is going away on August 28th. Instead, they can get a $10 store credit, but only if they pre-order from a select list of games -- and they'll have to wait up to 35 days to get their discount code.
