We learned last year that Amazon would be increasing the number of advertisements on Prime Video, and now we know for sure they have. Thanks to a report by Adweek, we now know that since ads were added to Amazon Prime Video, over the last eighteen months, they have doubled from two to three minutes per hour to four to six per hour.
This is precisely what naysayers predicted would happen since ads were introduced, but, of course, Amazon originally claimed the ad spots would be “meaningfully smaller than traditional television and most other streaming services,” which has technically held true, though it’s worth pointing out that Amazon Prime Video, a paid service through an Amazon Prime subscription, can serve more ads than free services like Peacock.
How many ads are too many?
Amazon may eventually find out
Prime Video didn’t always contain advertisements, but ever since Amazon added them to the streaming service eighteen months ago, the company has slowly increased the amount. Not only is this a good way to avoid backlash when first introducing ads to a paid service, as Amazon slowly increased the amount, it has reached the industry standard now that it’s playing ads four to six minutes per hour.
The one question that remains, will Amazon continue to increase the number of ads on Prime Video now that its amount is comparable to its competitors? Only time will tell, though there does appear to be a clear trend in one direction. So why would Amazon change course when increasing the ad load has already proven lucrative enough to balance the deficit of the low watch time of its users?
Amazon has a tough road ahead, balancing its ambitions to grow its ad network against the needs of its customers and their desire to not be bombarded with ads. Pleasing consumers will come at the cost of displeasing its ad-buying customers, who are likely happy that an increased ad load typically means lower prices to place ads. As consumers pay the price to please advertisers, more and more people may wonder if Amazon’s content is worth the trouble.
