How many ads will you really see while watching Prime Video?
How many ads will you really see while watching Prime Video?
Viewers who are nervous about switching to Prime Video’s ad-supported plan should check out this guide to see how intrusive ad breaks are on the streamer.
With the cost of streaming ad-free endlessly rising, many customers are choosing to downgrade to ad-supported plans instead of canceling services. Ad plans can save viewers substantial money over what they’d pay to go ad-free, making them a viable option even for viewers who don’t want to see commercials while streaming on-demand.
Prime Video executed its ad rollout a bit differently than nearly all other streamers, converting existing customers to ad plans unless they opted to pay an extra $3 per month for ad-free service. But what is the ad experience on that streamer really like? I tried its ad plan to give you all the details you want to know.
Everything you need to know about the ad experience on Prime Video
What’s the ad experience on Prime Video original shows?
For the purposes of this exercise, I checked out the ad experience on a half-hour Prime Video original, as well as a full-hour show. During the 30-minute series (“Hazbin Hotel”), average ad breaks ran between 15 and 45 seconds each. The later breaks usually had two ads, one 30-second commercial and one 15-second one. Different episodes changed up the number of breaks and ads in them, but it worked out to an average of about three to five minutes of ads per episode.
I went with one of my favorite shows, “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” for the 60-minute Prime Video original, and found that ad breaks were usually a bit longer, ranging from 30 seconds to two minutes in length. Shorter ad breaks usually preceded playback, with three or four breaks in the middle as well. In total, I saw the same three to five minutes of ads per episode as I did with the 30-minute Prime Video original test.
What’s the ad experience on Prime Video licensed shows?
Much like the ad experience on Prime Video’s original shows, I noticed that licensed 30-minute titles on the streamer have breaks spread out across the playback of an episode, between 15 and 45 seconds in length. Viewers will have to put up with the same three to five minutes of ads per episode as they get on Amazon originals. However, I also noticed some older titles didn’t include ads during playback at all.
The 60-minute shows licensed on Prime Video also function similarly to their original counterparts. Breaks are between 15 and 45 seconds, but I didn’t have to sit through more of them during an hour-long show than I did for 30-minute shows.
What’s the ad experience on Prime Video original movies?
The total ad time of around three to five minutes per episode also translates to Prime Video original movies, from my firsthand experience. When I turned on “The Idea of You,” I was greeted with a pre-roll ad break of around 2 minutes and 30 seconds in length. Then, the movie played another ad break of similar length around an hour in, and none during the rest of the film. I appreciated the strategy of having longer, fewer ad breaks during my movie-watching experience.
What’s the ad experience on Prime Video licensed movies?
The first movie that I flipped on for this category of movies was “The Fall Guy,” and instead of seeing ad breaks throughout the movie, I saw an ad roll of around 3 minutes play all at the beginning. I’m guessing this changes from movie to movie, but it’s nice to know that Prime Video is varying the ad experience from title to title and that some films will see all ads play at the front instead of continuous interruptions. Mid-roll breaks on other movies lasted around 1 minute, 15 seconds each.
Are there any ads on kids content with Prime Video?
No. I sampled four or five kids shows on Prime Video, and none of them came with a pre-roll ad break or any commercials during playback.
Does Prime Video have pause ads?
While watching on my laptop, I didn’t see any pause ads while streaming content on Prime Video. This can likely change depending on title and platform, however, so don’t be surprised to see a QR code or a spot to shop for merch from the show you’re watching when you pause playback while streaming Prime Video.
Final thoughts
Prime Video’s ad experience is mostly consistent across all of its content. I saw three to five minutes of ads per title almost universally, whether it was a 30-minute TV show or a full-length movie. Amazon also doesn’t stuff more or fewer ads into its originals, it seems.
The streamer is clearly proud of its original content because I think I saw an ad for a Prime Video original in every individual ad break I saw, or nearly. Viewers will see the same ads play over the course of a single title, but I didn’t see the same things advertised in the same ad breaks at least.
I appreciated that Prime Video shows you on the playback bar when an ad break is coming up, instead of trying to surprise me with them. Overall, I’d have to say the ad experience on Prime Video isn’t as bad as I imagined it would be, and any viewers who want to save by continuing to stream ad-free on the service for $9 per month can do so pretty painlessly.
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 10,000+ movies, TV shows, and Prime Originals like “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” “Jack Ryan,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “The Boys,” and more. Subscribers can also add third-party services like Max, Showtime, STARZ, and dozens more with Amazon Prime Video Channels. Prime Video also offers exclusive live access to NFL Thursday Night Football.