Amazon has announced that it is changing the name of LOVEFiLM Instant to Amazon Prime Instant Video in the UK. The change will affect mainly Amazon Prime customers, with existing LOVEFiLM customers seeing only a change in branding. For Amazon Prime customers, it means the membership fee will jump from £49 to £79 (when it’s up for renewal), but will get access to Amazon Prime Instant Video for free as a return.
For existing LOVEFiLM customers, you’ll stay pay £5.99 a month to get all the same TV shows and movies you were getting before, and those that receive DVDs through the post will be unaffected too. However, it remains to be see how long the “by post” service will continue with Amazon focusing on digital content.
Amazon Prime customers will get access to more than 15,000 popular movies and TV episodes as part of their membership, but the price of the membership will go up when it’s up for renewal. The price will jump from £49 to £79 regardless of whether you want the movies and TV service or not.
After 26 February you’ll be asked to pay £79 a year for free unlimited next day postage on any Prime qualifying item on Amazon.co.uk, have access to over 500,000 books via the KindleOwners’ Lending Library to read them on your Kindle device, and the ability to stream those 15,000 TV shows and movies – all that for just over £7 more than paying for the monthly Prime Instant Video Service.