If you’ve been noticing more ads while watching your favorite shows on Prime Video, you’re not imagining it. Amazon has quietly increased the number of ads it shows from around 2 to 3.5 minutes per hour earlier this year, to now 4 to 6 minutes per hour, according to a new report by AdWeek. Notably, in India the ads will start from June 17.
That’s double the original ad time, and the change wasn’t officially announced to viewers. Instead, it came to light through ad buyers and internal emails. One Amazon rep confirmed in an email to a buyer that the ad load has “gradually increased.”
So, what’s going on?
Amazon had already hinted to investors that more ads were coming. Now, they’re making it happen giving the company more advertising space to sell as it builds its streaming business. For advertisers, this means more inventory and possibly lower costs. But for viewers, it means more interruptions.
Experts are keeping a close eye on how this change affects the viewing experience. “They told us the ad load would be increasing,” said Kendra Tang from Rain the Growth Agency. “That’s been confirmed recently when we noticed more avails in the system.”
The big question now is: Will this push people away, or will most users just accept it as part of the streaming world?
For now, if you’re watching Prime Video and suddenly feel like there are more breaks than before, you’re absolutely right.
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