A new study has found that consumers are surprisingly tolerant of ads when it comes to watching their favorite shows. But there is a breaking point.
For every 30 minutes of streaming video, five ads or fewer seemed to be the key number, according to a study conducted by Hub Entertainment Research. Its survey, which asked more than 3,000 US customers between 4 and 74 years old, found that half of the respondents found it reasonable to see 5 or fewer ads. That figure dropped to 38% when the number was upped to six to 10 ads.
The Hub report offered a wealth of different insights about the state of ads in streaming, and concluded that consumers were willing to watch them if it meant getting access to compelling content.
The results fall in line with the rise in popularity of free ad-supported streaming services like Pluto or Tubi. They offer a range of streaming channels and on-demand movies and shows in exchange for periodic ads, and serve as a counter to the rise in pay services like Netflix, which offer their own cheaper ad-based tiers now.
Beyond the number of ads, the study looked at their lengths too. More than half of the participants were fine with a 30-second ad break, with 48% tolerating a minute-long break. But the number drops when you hit 90 seconds or more.
Just how many ads you see and for how long is up to each streaming service. Hopefully, they take stock in the findings of this study.