Amazon quietly doubles the duration of its ads on Prime Video

Amazon quietly increases the length of its Prime Video ad breaks after launch

Let’s face it, one of the big perks of streaming services is their ad-free nature. Now, like most things, streaming services have gotten worse over time as their corporate overlords seek to extract ever more money from the pockets of subscribers. Amazon introduced ads into Prime Video last year, adding to the service’s standard tier while creating a more expensive ad-free option. In other words, Amazon demanded more money for a feature that was previously part of their standard subscription.

According to a report from adweek, Amazon has doubled the length of its ad breaks since they were introduced in January 2024. When ads arrived, there were 2-3.5 minutes of ads per hour. Today, that number has doubled. According to documents from advertisers, Prime Video now has 4-6 minutes of ads per hour. This has led to a worse user experience, though many services carry more ads.

Netflix and Disney+ reportedly show fewer ads per hour of streaming, with providers like Hulu and Paramount+ carrying more ads. Prime Video is now said to be “mid-tier” when it comes to ad break length. However, Prime Video still has shorter ads than most TV channels. Regardless, the gap is narrowing.

The golden age of streaming is over, and the world’s biggest streaming companies will likely continue to increase ad lengths to drive profits. For many, having ads is preferable to having higher subscription costs. That said, it is sad to see these services continue to get worse for consumers.

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