WarnerMedia has reportedly sent out a marketing survey indicated that they are readying an ad-supported tier of their streaming video service which is expected to debut next year. The survey indicates said service could potentially carry just 2-4 minutes of advertising per viewing hour.
That’s less than the 5 minutes/hour of Peacock and 9 minutes/hour of Hulu. While commercials are not likely to appear in any original HBO programs, or the most recent movies playing on HBO, ads could surface alongside content from WarnerMedia’s other TV networks; HBO Max originals, and older films such as classics shown on the Turner Classic Movies cable network which has never run commercials.
Like Hulu and CBS All Access, HBO Max ‘with ads’ would come in at a cheaper cost per month than the ad-free version and would mostly be standard video commercials before, during and/or after shows and movies. There may also be “some more innovative, interactive, and/or less disruptive types of ads.”
The push for ads in streaming is getting more forceful as marketers are rapidly increasing their spending on ad-supported streaming hubs as compared to traditional networks where ad spending is falling.
Source: Variety
