Why Does Amazon Prime Have Commercials in 2023?
In the 21st century, commercials are essential for introducing a particular product to its intended market. They are now thought of as a brand's key marketing tool for boosting sales and expanding the business for it to thrive. As a result, it is widely available and can be found on social media, television, and other platforms as well.
Nowadays, commercials are also used on over-the-top (OTT) platforms as well, including Amazon Prime Video, which is one of the world’s biggest OTT streaming services. With 151.9 million coming from the US alone, there are already over 200 million Amazon Prime subscribers globally.
Let's now talk about the reasons Amazon Prime has commercials and why it will still be a big deal in 2023.
Why are there commercials on Amazon Prime Video?
There are certain reasons why Amazon Prime Videos have commercials even in 2023. Here are some of the reasons listed below:
- Generating revenue:
Revenue generation is crucial to running any service properly. The same goes for Amazon Prime Video as well. Since its inception, one of the major contributors to Amazon Prime Video's profit margin has been advertising. In 2023, this profit margin maintenance at Amazon is still prominent.
Moreover, even in 2023, showing commercials to the users is one of the best possible ways to generate revenue for Amazon Prime Video. Amazon Prime ads can help the company earn money as users watch Prime video content on the platform.
- For content purchase:
Any OTT platform needs to provide a certain amount of money to the production house in order to get the content for screening, including Amazon Prime Video. This cost is usually collected by using the commercials that are shown on the platform while the viewers watch Prime videos on Amazon.
- To boost sales and promote business:
As Amazon Prime is a popular streaming platform, it has a rich viewer base. Showing these viewers various commercials regarding a certain product or service can increase the value of the advertiser and generate huge amounts of sales. It can help with the growth of the business and other businesses sponsored by Amazon as well.
Can you control Ad Preferences?
Yes, you surely have control over your ad preferences in Amazon Prime Video. Although you can't completely avoid advertisements, you can manage and control your preferences.
You may control your ad preferences in Amazon Prime Video by following a few easy steps:
1. First, you must log into your account.
2. After that, you must navigate to "Advertising Privacy and Preferences." You will see the "Interest-based ad preferences" box below this.
3. Choose your top choice from the list of options, which are:
- Show me interest-based ads provided by Amazon
- "Do not show me interest-based ads provided by Amazon."
4. Click "Save Changes" after finishing step 3.
What Commercials Appear on Amazon Prime?
Amazon Prime may show various kinds of commercials to their viewers. It depends on certain factors. Among all of the factors, understanding the taste of its viewers is important.
Amazon Prime collects user data based on what users like and want from the platform. This can be collected in various ways that are available in the modern world, including using behavior-tracking skills and many more. Based on this information, commercials related to technology, entertainment, goods, and much more are presented.
Among all the kinds of commercials that are shown on Amazon Prime, there are a few that are noteworthy. Here are those that stand out:
- Promotional commercials:
Amazon Prime is an ideal platform to promote various upcoming events that are going to take place either domestically or globally. Hence, promotional content related to any event, show, movie, and many more is commonly shown and viewed by Prime Video viewers.
- Service commercials:
Amazon Prime ads sometimes show commercials that promote various other service platforms. These are food delivery platforms, financial services, and many more. These kinds of commercials are shown to Amazon Prime Video viewers based on their interest-based ad preferences.
- Product commercials:
Various products are often promoted on Amazon Prime by various brands. These products that are promoted on Prime Video are new products that will hit the market soon enough. Mostly, the brands promote these products through a series of promotional campaigns via commercials, which greatly contribute to generating their sales.
How Common Are Ads on Amazon Prime Videos?
Ads are quite commonly viewed on Amazon Prime Videos. It usually shows ads based on several major factors. The content popularity is one of the major factors in this case. If the content that a viewer is streaming is popular on the platform, Amazon Prime Video will show commercials on that Prime video more frequently in comparison to the other Prime videos.
Usually, while you are bingeing any show on Amazon Prime Video, it will show you promotional commercials for other shows. Besides, one of the most common commercials in Amazon Prime videos is based on various products and their promotional marketing.
Besides, Amazon Prime ads are commonly shown an average of three times while watching a Prime video. At the start of any Prime video, an ad may be shown by Amazon Prime. These ads are known as pre-roll commercials. They are usually 15–30 seconds long.
In the middle of any prime video, commercials may be shown to the viewer. This usually occurs if the user is watching a movie. 1–3 commercials are shown during the mid-interval, which are 10–30 seconds long.
Again, at the end of any prime video, commercials are shown to the viewers. These are 10–30 seconds long. But post-roll ads are not that popular compared to pre-roll and mid-roll ads.
Do You Have Control Over Amazon Ad Preferences?
The preferences for Amazon ads are, in fact, under your control. Amazon does provide you with the option to decide whether or not to get interest-based advertisements. This setting can be found in the Advertising, Privacy, and Preferences section of Amazon.
In light of this, you can select to view Amazon's interest-based or non-interest-based advertisements, depending on your preferences. On the same Advertising Privacy and Preferences page, you have a second choice to control your ad preferences, i.e., you can remove your information from the database used by Amazon's ad system. For the system to erase your personal information, click "Delete Ad Data."
Amazon will stop displaying advertising based on your previous purchases once you remove your information from their database of ads and turn off interest-based ads. In place of customized ads, you will consequently see more random ones.
Is Amazon the only streaming platform with Ads?
Amazon is not the only streaming platform with ads. Almost all streaming platforms show ads for their low-tier or free users. Because commercials are important for any streaming platform, as these keep the platform up and running properly.
Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, Peacock, and many other streaming platforms show ads to their users while they stream their respective content. These streaming platforms need other ways to earn revenues than the subscriptions that they get to run properly. So Amazon is not the only streaming platform with ads.
How Do I Skip Commercials on Amazon Prime?
Amazon Prime does frequently juxtapose advertisements with your streaming, which can be annoying for many of us because of its unwelcome interruption. However, on Amazon Prime, you can always choose to skip the advertisements by taking a few easy steps. These are listed below:
- Make use of the fast-forward button.
Using the fast-forward feature on Amazon Prime is the simplest way to skip any commercials. You'll see that some of the commercials on Amazon Prime can be skipped or fast-forwarded. To continue streaming on Amazon Prime after the commercial, hit the fast-forward button when you see it.
- Amazon Fire TV Stick:
When you are binge-watching material on your smart TV, the Amazon Fire TV stick comes in quite handy for skipping advertisements on Amazon Prime. It does have a fast-forward and skip button. Additionally, Fire TV sticks can be utilized with PCs and laptops. So, if you're using an Amazon Fire TV stick to stream video, simply hit those keys to skip the commercials.
How Do I Get Rid of Ads on Amazon Prime Video?
There are many ways you can get rid of commercials on Amazon Prime Video. The simplest and easiest of all would be to get a paid subscription. Usually, all paid subscriptions are ad-free. You can watch all the content that is available on the platform free of any commercials.
But this method can become obsolete at any moment, as Amazon Prime sometimes changes its subscription models. As the supreme authority, Amazon Prime has the right to do so. So you should check the subscription perks that you are interested in and check whether or not the mentioned package subscription has ad-free content.
Is Amazon Prime Video worth the money?
Yes, Amazon Prime Video is worth the money. Amazon Prime Video is currently streaming various shows and movies that are popular and famous. This platform has also invested heavily in producing originals. These originals are becoming popular and are being renewed for future seasons as well.
If you are interested in watching these originals and other content, Amazon Prime Video is worth the money. So if you buy an Amazon Prime Video subscription, this will help you watch ad-free content and encourage the platform to invest heavily in making better content.
Reach customers where they stream and browse
When brands were first starting out, reaching consumers through TV was thought to be their best bet. In contrast to the conventional method of advertising using TV advertisements, it is now more convenient to engage customers while they stream and browse, and the reach is also relatively great in 2023.
Besides, the younger generation spends a significant amount of time browsing and streaming websites rather than watching television. Thus, many Amazon-linked video users frequently use the ad-supported streaming services offered by Amazon.
Let's discover how to reach customers more effectively at their streaming and browsing locations:
- Through Amazon Prime Video:
With a global reach, Amazon Prime Video has been offering streaming services to its consumers. The reach of your brand's advertisements will be rather huge if they are made available to customers as advertising while they are streaming Amazon Prime Videos, which is beneficial for the brand's expansion.
Thus, Amazon Prime Video is playing a significant role in connecting brands with customers while they stream content on Amazon Prime Video.
- Using Amazon Advertising:
Brands can develop advertisements by using Amazon's Advertising services. As Amazon users are highly dedicated to exploring for hours and hours to find the products they want, these ads are sure to attract some customers to check out the product and even make them buy it.
Additionally, since these advertisements will be present on Amazon's website, mobile app, and all of its devices, more customers will respond to them while they browse the website.
- Amazon Live:
Live streams are one of the most popular trends in the modern world. Amazon offers Amazon Live services so that businesses can use the Amazon Live Creator App to promptly broadcast their items for advertising purposes.
Additionally, your business can sponsor the live streams of well-known Amazon influencers who produce their content using the Amazon Live Creator App. When you stream live, getting your pitch over to customers becomes fairly effective.
Amazon Prime Video content vs. third-party Prime Video content
Amazon Prime Video Content
A vast variety of content, including web series, movies, TV shows, and more, is available on Amazon Prime Video, which is one of the world's largest OTT streaming services. In addition to original movies and documentaries, one of the distinctive attributes of Amazon Prime Video is its own original production content.
One must purchase an Amazon Prime membership, which costs $14.99 per month or $139 annually in the United States of America, in order to access Amazon Prime Video content. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, Carnival Row, and The Man in the High Castle are some of the award-winning Amazon Prime Video content.
Third-Party Prime Video Content
Movies, TV series, and other forms of video material that are not created by Amazon but rather are licensed by other businesses or content providers are referred to as "third-party Prime Video content." This indicates that as part of its Prime Video service, Amazon has secured the right to stream media on its platform.
Popular TV shows like "The Office," "Grey's Anatomy," and "Friends," as well as films from big studios like Disney, Warner Bros., and Universal Pictures, are examples of third-party Prime Video content.
How to Avoid Commercials on Amazon Prime Video
Even though it is not possible to entirely eliminate the ads, you can still avoid them on Amazon Prime Video. Among all the ways you can do that, here are the most important ones you should know:
- Purchase a subscription:
Purchasing a subscription can help you avoid the commercials that are shown on the platform. The subscription that Amazon Prime sells is affordable if you want to watch the content without the hassle of commercials.
- Fast-forward or Skip commercials:
Depending on the content you are watching and the commercial you are viewing, sometimes the commercials are skippable. Thus, as previously mentioned, you can click on the Skip button to avoid the commercial. Besides, you can also click on the fast-forward option to avoid the commercial.
- Using an ad blocker
Although using an ad blocker is not officially accepted, you may try to block the commercials that might show when you are watching your content. But Amazon Prime can override your ad blocker configurations and still show you commercials in various ways. But it might be able to help you avoid certain types of commercials that are commonly viewed by users.
Conclusion
Even in 2023, commercials have continued to be a crucial component of Amazon Prime for generating revenue, boosting sales, promoting business, purchasing content, and other purposes. Besides, the commercials are also used to cover the costs associated with content creation and licensing for Amazon Prime. In 2023, advertisements will play a crucial role in both Amazon's strategic objectives and the shifting dynamics of the streaming video market.
Curious about Amazon's advertising API and how it can benefit you? We got you. Check out this article.