Prime Video

83,000 participants in class action lawsuit against Amazon

Amazon had given its customers the choice of watching advertising while streaming in future or continuing to stream ad-free for just under three euros more per month.(Bild: Timon)

Thousands of households in Germany are taking part in a class action lawsuit against Amazon over the Prime Video streaming service. So far, 82,941 consumers have signed up to the register of complaints, according to the Saxony Consumer Advice Center.

The background to this is a change to the Prime Video streaming service: Since February 2024, more advertising has been played there - without customers' prior consent.

Amazon had given its customers the choice of seeing ads while streaming in future or continuing to stream ad-free for just under three euros more per month. The consumer advocates see the change as an impermissible contract adjustment and are demanding reimbursement of the additional payments.

The register of claims was opened in May 2024. Anyone who had an Amazon Prime subscription before February 5 and paid for it can join the lawsuit.

The Consumer Association of North Rhine-Westphalia was successful in a similar case against Amazon: The Düsseldorf Regional Court declared a Prime price increase to be unlawful. The case concerned the increase in the annual fee from 69 to 89.90 euros.