Twitch goes ad-free for Amazon Prime members, dropping subscription tier

At this weekend's Twitch Con 2016 in San Diego, the Amazon-owned video game live-streaming service announced that it was replacing its premium subscription plan in favor of a closer relationship with Amazon's Prime service. Now, instead of paying $9/month for the ad-free Twitch Turbo, Amazon Prime subscribers will automatically get the ad-free Twitch experience, in addition to deals on games and bonus content.

Twitch explains that while it will no longer offer the Turbo tier in countries where Amazon Prime is available (US, UK, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain), those who already have the plan can keep their subscription for the same price, or cancel to switch to the Amazon Prime version.

The ad-free Twitch Prime is now essentially an included perk in the $99/year (or $11/month) Amazon Prime subscription. Users will connect their Amazon and Twitch accounts to take advantage of the service, and anyone who signs up for the Prime 30-day free trial also gets immediate access to the ad-free Twitch.

Those free monthly perks are said to include discounts on new game releases, free access to a rotating selection of digital games, and bonus content for some of the most popular games being streamed on Twitch, such as in-game items, characters, and boosts. The first free game users will get to play is Streamline, a new title with Twitch streaming functionality built in.

SOURCE Twitch Blog