More ads are showing up on the streaming service HBO Max. Recently, the company quietly updated its support page for the Basic with Ads plan, now stating that viewers should expect six minutes of ads per hour.
When HBO Max first introducedits ad-supported plan in 2021, it was meant to keep commercials to no more than four minutes per hour of programming. The new change to six minutes is a big jump from the earlier promise, and archived versions of the support page confirm that the four-minute limit was still listed as recently as February 2025.
In addition to longer ad breaks, Max has also started putting commercials on HBO-branded shows, which goes against its original guarantee that HBO content would stay ad-free. Now, the service, which is set to change its name back to “HBO Max” next month, will have one of the highest ad loads among subscription-based streaming platforms.
I often use free services like Tubi to watch Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage. Tubi hasa guaranteeof four to six minutes per hour. This means a free service shows about as many ads as a paid service. It makes me question why users should pay more to view fewer ads when they can get a similar experience for free.
It’s true that the trend of adding more ads isn’t exclusive to Max. Other major streaming services have increased their commercial time since launching.Adweekreportedthat Amazon’s Prime Video has nearly doubled the length of its ad breaks, also reaching four to six minutes of commercials an hour. This means streaming follows the path cable TV has used for decades, except you can choose what to watch.
Pretty much every paid streaming service starts by promising fewer commercials, but eventually increases them over time. Hulu is a good example of this. In 2008, its CEO toldthe NY Timesthat Hulu believed in a “less is more” approach to ads, claiming that fewer commercials would make them more memorable for viewers and advertisers. Back then, Hulu usually showed just one ad per break.
However, by 2010, the platform had started adding more ads due to pressure from advertisers. By 2023, Hulu had reached over seven minutes of ads per hour, making it the streaming service with the highest ad load among major platforms. I dropped Hulu around 2021 despite being on the service for years because the ads became unbearable.
When you compare it to traditional TV, streaming services still have fewer ads. Regular TV channels usually have longer commercial breaks, averaging between 15 and 18 minutes per hour. However, if streaming services can’t beat places like Tubi, it’s a bigger deal when subscription costs increase.
