Prime Video Is Making America Great by Rejecting Political Ads This Election Season
Since Amazon’s policy is to not show political ads in election years, fans can tune into “TNF” or other programming on Prime Video without fear of seeing them.
There’s no doubt that one of the worst facets of an election year is the constant bombardment of ads that come along with it. Candidates are ramping up their media blitzes as November draws closer, and its seemingly impossible to turn on the screen without seeing a commercial for some office-seeker or ballot issue. Amazon knows the pain all too well, and it wants to give viewers a break from all the political ads; in fact, during an election year, Prime Video doesn’t allow such ads at all.
Key Details:
- Amazon policy prohibits the showing of political ads during an election year.
- This extends to both live content and on-demand shows.
- Other streaming services like Hulu have taken different approaches to political commercials.
Ben Koo of Awful Announcing noticed while streaming the recent “Thursday Night Football” game between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants that, unlike NFL games on linear TV, the stream was not bombarding him with political ads during every break.
In fact, there were no campaign commercials of any kind shown during the game. Diving a little deeper, Koo unearthed Amazon’s guidelines for what type of content is and isn’t allowed to be shown in advertisements on Prime Video. One section, in particular, will be a huge relief to viewers seeking a haven from political ads this election season.
Amazon declines to air ads that may be considered “political, such as campaigns for or against a politician or a political party, or related to an election, or content related to political issues of public debate. During an election year we prohibit media products about a specific political party, issue, or candidate.”
This is a boon to viewers not just of “TNF,” but of Prime Video in general. Most of Amazon’s streaming customers are now using its ad-supported plan for $9 per month, and not having to deal with a never-ending stream of political commercials will be a big plus for those customers.
Not all streaming services have followed Amazon’s example in the past. During the run-up to the 2022 midterm elections, Hulu said it would reject political ad campaigns that focused on “sensitive issues.” Despite that pledge, however, the streamer ended up showing plenty of campaign commercials in the months prior to the voting.
So if you want to escape the incessant from Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, or any local candidate who is trying to win your vote this November, consider a subscription to Prime Video. You’ll still be subjected to ads, but you won’t have to worry about political commercials while you stream “The Boys” or “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.”
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.