Has your streaming TV experience been littered with ads in 2026? And do those commercial breaks feel like they’re longer than they used to be?
It’s not your brain playing tricks on you.
The total “ad minutes per hour” shown by ad-supported tiers of streaming TV services rose 18% from January to August 2026, according to data from entertainment research firm Ampere Analysis shared exclusively with Business Insider.
Paramount+, Hulu and Disney+ are among the worst ad-increase offenders in 2026.
Team Clark has frequently suggested ad-supported tiers of video streaming services and ad-supported free streaming services as budget-conscious options. This is a great way to save several bucks per service per month, as many have increased the monthly subscription fees for their ad-free tiers. Those small gains add up to significant savings over a year!
But it’s worth considering how much of your time these commercials take up when you’re trying to watch your favorite movies or TV series. You may find it’s worth the extra money to get an ad-free experience, or you may find you’re better off canceling a service to save cash and avoid ad-induced annoyance.
Let’s take a closer look at the data from this study to understand which streaming services are the worst offenders in taking advantage of your tolerance for an ad-supported subscription.
Data Shows Ad-Supported Streaming Services Are Showing MORE Commercials
If you signed up for an ad-supported subscription streaming service at the beginning of 2026, odds are pretty good that you’re seeing more commercials now than you did then.
Research by Ampere Analysis found that eight of the nine video streaming services in the study served customers more ads per hour in August 2026 than in January.
Paramount+ increased its ad servings to more than nine minutes per hour! Hulu (8.23 minutes per hour) and Disney+ (7.54 minutes per hour) trailed closely. These numbers are all up from their January averages.
Only Amazon’s Prime Video had a lower number during that period, and it was a minimal change, dropping from 2.78 minutes per hour to 2.60.
And, in case you were wondering, the amount of ads you see per hour varies pretty significantly from one service to the next.
For example: The ad-supported tier of Paramount+ shows you an average of 9.01 minutes of ads per hour compared to just 2.44 on Netflix’s ad-tier. That’s almost four times as many ads!
Here’s a look at the full data set compiled by Ampere Analysis:
2026 Average Ad Minutes Per Hour
Bottom Line: If you’re trying to be a savvy, budget-conscious streamer, you’ve likely accepted that allowing some level of advertisements into your TV life is the path toward getting the best value on your subscription price.
But what this research has uncovered is a little unsettling.
Value streamers are still paying the same prices, but the streaming service providers are sneaking more advertising into their subscription tiers.
We still recommend this type of subscription to save money, but we’re concerned the user experience may keep getting worse if ads keep increasing as some streaming services also raise prices. It can be a double whammy.
Ultimately, it’s up to each individual to decide where their “breaking point” is on “too many ads” and whether the discounted price is worth it.
Alternatives are pretty straightforward for most of these services: You either pay up for an ad-free experience, or you cancel the subscription and live without their content in your life.
I’m not at my breaking point … yet. Are you?
Does this data change the way you view ad-supported streaming services? Will you change your subscriptions at all? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the Clark.com community.
The post Streaming TV Ads Are Getting Longer and These Services Are the Worst appeared first on Clark Howard.