Does Prime Video Have Ads?

Short answer: yes. If you watch Prime Video on the standard Amazon Prime membership, you have been seeing ads since early 2024. Short commercial breaks during movies and shows, the same way cable TV used to work. There is a paid upgrade that makes them go away.

Here is the honest version for viewers. When the ads showed up, how they work, and how to turn them off if they bug you. Then we flip it. We run a streaming-TV ad platform, so we will also show you the other side of those ad breaks. They are now open to small businesses, not just national brands.

The short answer: yes, since 2024

In January 2024, Amazon turned on ads for Prime Video in the US by default. Your Prime membership did not get more expensive. But the standard plan now includes "limited" ad breaks. The pitch is that you still pay the same and get the same catalog. You just see a handful of commercials, like most other streaming services. Want the old, uninterrupted experience? You pay a little extra.

This was not a small change. Prime Video reaches a huge audience, so flipping ads on by default instantly created one of the largest streaming ad platforms in the world. That matters for viewers. And if you own a business, it matters even more. We will get to that.

How Prime Video ads work

Here is what you actually experience as a viewer.

• They play inside the show. Ads run before a title starts and at a few points during it, like traditional TV commercial breaks. Not banners or pop-ups.
• They are non-skippable. You cannot fast-forward past them the way you might skip a pre-roll elsewhere. The break plays, then your show resumes.
• They are relatively light. Amazon markets the standard tier as having fewer ads than traditional TV and many rival streamers. A few minutes per hour, not the heavy load of linear cable.
• They can be relevant. Amazon knows a lot about what people shop for and watch, so the ads you see are often tied to real interests and shopping behavior, not shown at random.

Want the full breakdown of the formats and targeting behind all of this? We wrote a separate explainer on how Prime Video ads work.

How to watch Prime Video without ads

You do not have to live with the breaks. Amazon sells an ad-free upgrade as an add-on to your existing subscription. To turn it on:

1. Sign in to your Amazon account on the web or in the Prime Video app.
2. Open Account & Settings, then your Prime Video or Prime membership settings.
3. Choose the ad-free option and confirm the charge.

Pricing changes over time, but the ad-free add-on has been around $2.99/month in the US, on top of whatever you already pay for Prime or a standalone Prime Video plan (check Amazon for current pricing, since it varies by plan and region).

That is the whole consumer story. Ads are on by default, they are short and non-skippable, and a few dollars a month makes them disappear.

The flip side: put your business on Prime Video

Now the part most articles skip. If those ad breaks annoy you as a viewer, flip the perspective for a second. There is a real opportunity hiding in them.

Every commercial you see during a movie is a business paying to reach you on the biggest screen in your house. For years that was reserved for national brands with agencies and six-figure budgets. Not anymore. Through Amazon Sponsored TV, a local plumber, dentist, gym, or restaurant can run an ad in those exact breaks. The same screens, next to the same shows as the big brands.

That is the whole reason Trusted TV exists. Here is how the math actually shakes out for a small business.

A few things make this work the way it never used to. We make the commercial for free. Our AI builds a real, airable 30-second spot, so there is no production bill before you start. The ads are non-skippable, so your whole message lands. And you get the same Amazon targeting that makes the ads you see feel relevant. You pick the right people by ZIP code and Amazon shopping audiences, instead of buying a vague chunk of a cable channel.

It also performs where it counts. Streaming TV is mainly an awareness play, and the format is built for it: the ad is non-skippable and full-screen, so your whole message reaches the viewer instead of getting scrolled past on a phone. A typical campaign earns roughly 9,100 views, and the cost averages about $42.50 per 1,000 views, which already covers the free video and the management.

Want the details? Start with how the format and targeting work in how Prime Video ads work, see what it costs on the streaming TV advertising cost page, or read our 2026 small-business streaming TV benchmark for the full numbers. The streaming TV advertising hub ties it all together.

So: annoyed by the ads? Pay the few dollars and skip them. But if you own a business, those breaks are the cheapest path onto premium TV you have ever had. You can make a free video and be on the same screens this week.

FAQ

Does Prime Video have ads?

Yes. As of early 2024, Amazon shows ads on Prime Video by default for everyone on the standard Prime membership. You see a few short commercial breaks during movies and shows unless you pay extra for the ad-free upgrade.

How do I remove ads on Prime Video?

Add the ad-free option to your account. On Amazon, go to Account & Settings, then Prime Video Settings (or your Prime membership page), and choose the ad-free add-on. Once it is active, the commercial breaks stop on supported titles.

How much is ad-free Prime Video?

The ad-free upgrade is an add-on charged on top of your existing Prime or Prime Video subscription. It runs around $2.99/month in the US (check Amazon for current pricing, since it varies by plan and region).

Are Prime Video ads skippable?

No. Prime Video ads play inside the stream and you cannot skip them the way you sometimes can with a YouTube pre-roll. That is a big reason advertisers like the format. Your whole message reaches the viewer.

Can my business advertise on Prime Video?

Yes. Those same ad breaks are open to small businesses through Amazon Sponsored TV, not just national brands. With Trusted TV we make your commercial for free and run it on Prime Video and connected TV for a typical budget of about $25/day.

How much does it cost to advertise on Prime Video?

On Trusted TV the typical small business runs about $25/day. A campaign earns roughly 9,100 views and reaches about 5,900 people, which works out to about $42.50 per 1,000 views (a CPM). That includes the free video and the campaign management.