Amazon has announced that Prime Video’s ad-supported tier now reaches more than 315 million average monthly viewers globally.
This is up from about 200 million monthly viewers that Amazon reported in April 2024. Marketing Week
According to the announcement:
- The 315 million figure is an “unduplicated” monthly active audience across original & licensed series/films, live sports/events, and free ad-supported channels on Prime Video.
- The data covers 16 countries where the ad-tier is deployed, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, UK, US and others.
- The timeframe for the data is over 12 months (September 2024 to August 2025) though with some local variations depending on launch dates
Why this matters
- A 315 million monthly ad-supported viewer base gives Prime Video a very large scale in the streaming ad market, which can drive advertising revenue and allow Amazon to monetise the tier more aggressively.
- The jump from 200 million to 315 million in under two years shows rapid growth in the ad-supported segment.
- For advertisers, this translates into a broader reach via Prime Video, potentially making the ad-tier more attractive for brand-spending.
- For Amazon and its streaming strategy, this milestone indicates that the ad-supported model is gaining traction as part of its global streaming business.
Things to watch / caveats
- The 315 million figure is average monthly viewers of the ad-supported tier — it does not necessarily equal unique subscribers of the service globally, or ad-free viewers.
- How Amazon defines “viewers” (minimum engaged minutes, households vs individuals) may differ from other companies, so cross-platform comparisons should be made carefully.
- Growth in the ad-supported tier doesn’t automatically mean high profitability: how much Amazon charges advertisers, the ad-load, user experience, churn risk, cost of content and infrastructure all remain relevant.
- The expansion into more markets, and how the ad-tier performs in each geography (ad rates, user tolerance for ads, competition) will affect long-term sustainability.
Context: Streaming ad-tiers & market dynamics
- Many streaming services are amplifying their ad-supported offerings as they seek new revenue streams beyond subscriptions.
- For comparison: Netflix recently reported ~190 million monthly ad-supported viewers globally under its new metric.
- As more viewers accept ad-supported streaming tiers (especially in international markets), streaming services are shifting business models from purely subscription-based to hybrid (subscription + advertising).
- The large scale of Prime Video’s ad-tier suggests Amazon is positioning itself strongly in the “ad-streaming” economy.
What this could mean next
- We may see Amazon issue more granular data about the ad-supported segment: regional breakdowns, average ad load, revenue per viewer, churn metrics.
- Advertisers might increase spending on Prime Video’s ad-tier given the large reach, especially in emerging markets where streaming growth is higher.
- The user experience will be important: maintaining ad-supported growth without harming subscriber satisfaction (and retention) will be a balancing act.
- Competitors will likely respond by highlighting their own ad-tier metrics or revising ad-loads/pricing to stay competitive in the ad-streaming space.
Conclusion
With more than 315 million monthly ad-supported viewers globally for Prime Video, Amazon has achieved a significant milestone in its streaming-advertising strategy. This scale enhances its appeal to advertisers and underscores the shift in streaming business models toward hybrid monetisation. Going forward, the key will be converting this reach into sustainable revenue and user satisfaction.
