Prime Video Ads Reported to Have Quietly Been Doubled in Length

Amazon Prime Video ads have reportedly doubled in length since the company first introduced its ad-based tiered subscription. Since the adoption of ads in 2024, Prime Video’s ads have increased from an average of two to three-and-a-half minutes to upwards of four to six.

The change came quietly, as reported by ADWEEK. In a recent report, six ad buyers and documents were reviewed, first determining the increase in length. In addition, an Amazon representative wrote to an ad buyer confirming the news. “Prime Video ad load has gradually increased to four to six minutes per hour,” a representative said in an obtained email, per the report.

Those who aren’t paying Prime Video’s $2.99 add-on to remove ads have not been given any notice of an increase in ad length. However, as the report dictates, Amazon is notifying investors. With an increase in ads, the company now has far more runway to sell ad space on its streaming service. Upon the introduction of ads, the vice president of Prime Video International, Kelly Day, stated that the streaming service would offer a light ad load to allow Amazon a “gentle entry into advertising.”

Speaking with a programming supervisor at Rain the Growth Agency, ADWEEK was alerted that Amazon “told us the ad load would be increasing.” Kendra Tang continued by stating, “That’s been confirmed recently when we noticed more avails in the system.”

Last month, it was reported that Prime Video surpassed 130 million ad-supported monthly viewers in the US alone. It’s estimated that 80 percent of Prime Video’s US audience is watching via the ad-supported tier, rather than paying the upgrade to remove all ads from the streaming service.