The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), Australia’s consumer watchdog, is suing U.S. company Amazon for allegedly unfairly introducing advertising to some 850,000 local streaming subscribers.
Amazon introduced advertising to its streaming service in Australia in July 2024, informing customers they would have to pay an additional fee to keep the service ad-free. The ACCC’s legal action concerns the wording of customer contracts between November 2023 and August 2025, affecting nearly one million subscribers.
“Consumers who wanted to avoid ads were left with no choice but to pay more to maintain the service they’d initially signed up for,” ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said.
Reportedly, about 850,000 subscribers had already paid A$79 (US$54.46) for an annual subscription.
The ACCC has asked the court to impose financial penalties on Amazon, award costs, and require the company to provide redress to affected customers.
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