Amazon appears set on ramping up ads on Prime Video, with plans to increase the number of ad slots available to advertisers in 2025. As reported by Ars Technica, Amazon is testing how much ad content viewers can tolerate before they begin canceling their subscriptions. In a paywalled article by the Financial Times, Kelly Day, Amazon’s Vice President of Prime Video International, stated that while viewers currently see 2 to 3.5 minutes of ads per hour, more mid-content ads may be coming next year.
Alongside traditional ads, Amazon plans to introduce new formats like carousel ads, intermission ads, and brand quiz ads, which will allow viewers to interact with shoppable content. These additional ad options are part of a broader strategy to target TV and cinema audiences, who are increasingly difficult to reach through conventional advertising methods.
Despite the looming changes, Amazon insists it will maintain a lower ad volume compared to traditional TV. In a statement to Ars Technica, the company highlighted its commitment to delivering a “great customer experience.” However, with Netflix proving that ad-supported streaming can be successful, Amazon seems ready to follow suit and potentially increase its reliance on ads, knowing that only a small percentage of Prime users currently pay for the ad-free tier.