Prime Video’s Ads Will Soon Be Harder To Avoid And More Intrusive

Amazon has announced that Prime Video’s ads are getting more intrusive. In a blog post (via The Verge), Amazon announced an “expanded suite” of ad formats with the aim of pushing you to buy stuff and to help Amazon make more money.

Amazon said Prime Video will soon have “shoppable carousel ads” on TV shows and movies. This will display a sliding lineup of products that viewers can quickly add to their Amazon cart. Upon interacting with it, this ad will pause to allow users to browse through it. Whenever the viewer stops interacting with the ad, the programming will continue.

The next type of ad is what’s called an “interactive pause ad.” This means when you pause a TV show, movie, or live sport on Prime Video, an ad may pop up, along with options for “Add to Cart” and “Learn More.” Viewers can resume their TV show or movie whenever they want.

The third new type of ad for Prime Video is what’s called an “interactive brand trivia” ad. This will show “factoids” about a specific brand and then encourage them to shop or learn more about the product or brand in question.

Amazon is announcing these new ad types ahead of the company’s upfronts presentation on May 14.

For context, Hulu has had ads on paused videos since 2019. YouTube is now testing ads when you pause.

Amazon upset people earlier this year when it introduced ads to Prime Video’s premium tier. Users can bypass the ads by paying an extra $3 per month. Amazon is now facing a potential class-action lawsuit that alleges the company deceived subscribers with this new plan.

One of the next big releases for Prime Video is The Boys Season 4, which releases on June 13. Check out the newest trailer above.