Fed up with Prime Video ads? Amazon doubles ad frequency

If you’re starting to feel like you’re seeing way too many ads on Amazon Prime Video, you’re not alone. According to a report by AdWeek, Amazon has quietly increased the number of ads shown between movies and TV shows, doubling the amount from a year ago.

When Amazon Prime Video first introduced ads in early 2024, commercial breaks were expected to be between 2 and 3.5 minutes per hour. However, in a recent email to advertisers, Amazon revealed that this has now grown to 4 to 6 minutes per hour, as reported by AdWeek.

Despite this increase in ads, there hasn’t been a significant decrease in subscribers. However, it remains to be seen how much advertising subscribers are willing to tolerate.

This strategy is not new in the streaming world. Services often start with a minimal amount of ads to attract new customers and retain existing ones. Once they have a substantial subscriber base, they gradually increase the advertising load. While this tactic has backfired for some companies, like Roku, it’s a common practice in the industry.

As more people transition from traditional TV to streaming platforms, providers like Amazon have more leeway to implement price hikes and show more ads without losing a substantial number of subscribers. Companies want to maximize their advertising revenue per subscriber to fund new productions and generate profits for shareholders.

According to Amazon’s public relations team, they are focused on improving ad experiences through innovation rather than just increasing the volume of ads shown. They have introduced multiple new capabilities to enhance relevance and customer experiences.

So, if you’re noticing more ads on Amazon Prime Video, it’s not your imagination. The streaming service is indeed showing more commercials than it used to, reflecting the evolving landscape of streaming entertainment.