Amazon’s big bet on ad-supported streaming is showing results as Prime Video surpasses 130 million monthly viewers in the U.S., making it the country’s most-watched ad-supported streaming platform (via The Hollywood Reporter).
The milestone comes just months after the company introduced ads into Prime Video content by default in January 2024. While ad-free viewing is still available, U.S. subscribers now have to pay an extra $2.99 per month to skip commercials.
Despite some initial criticism, the numbers suggest that most users have stuck around. In fact, an estimated 80% of Prime Video’s U.S. audience is now watching with ads.
This shift is more than just a new revenue stream — it’s helped Prime Video leap ahead of the competition. Amazon’s streaming platform now claims a larger share of the U.S. market than Netflix, with 22% of total streaming time in 2024, compared to Netflix’s 21%, according to third-party reports.
With a content library that includes everything from original series like The Boys and Reacher to live sports like Thursday Night Football, Prime Video has something for everyone — and that wide reach is helping it dominate the ad-supported space. Globally, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy says Prime Video now brings in 200 million monthly viewers.
The decision to insert ads into Prime Video programming is already delivering serious value. Industry analysts estimate Amazon could pull in more than $2 billion in additional ad revenue in 2025 alone. Ad prices on Prime Video currently range from $29 to $33 per thousand impressions (CPM), which is competitive, and in some cases even cheaper than other streaming platforms.
Amazon’s success with ads is likely to influence the rest of the streaming industry. More platforms are already experimenting with cheaper, ad-supported tiers to keep growing while offsetting rising production costs.
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Most of Amazon Prime Video users are dummies with an IQ of less than 40.
I wonder how do you know? Have you met them all?
as more time will pass, these ads will become more frequent and more forceful. If you remember when Google bought YouTube and started adding ads, it used to be one ad at the beginning that you could always skip.