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Streamers Turn Pausing Into Ad Moments
Play the pause ad // GIF by Kate Walker
Film and TV streaming services are leveling up their pause ads — yes, the ads that pop up when you pause content — to become interactive, shoppable, and more in line with what you’re watching.
The Big Picture: While audiences may enjoy the savings of ad-supported streamers, that doesn’t mean they actually like ads. So, platforms have been keeping ad breaks to a minimum. But pause ads offer, in theory, unlimited advertising opportunities — and making them something audiences want to engage with could be a game changer for revenue.
Behind The Scenes: In just a few years, pause ads have evolved from small on-screen placements to full-screen takeovers designed to grab a viewer’s attention.
Amazon’s pause ads let viewers add items directly to their Prime carts. A recent Duracell campaign saw a 12% uptick in battery orders compared to typical commercials.
Disney is developing a new format called “Pause+” (of course there’s a “+”) that would let audiences “telescope” into features within the ads — like a trivia game or an emailable coupon.
Streamers are also turning to AI to match pause ads with the content people are watching — like serving a Verizon ad when a show pauses during an intense phone call, or a DoorDash ad when a movie pauses mid-dinner scene.
Last Second: As premium subscriptions plateau, advertising has become more important than ever for streamers — especially as they continue upping their bids for skyrocketing sports rights. It’s only within the past year that streaming has even become profitable. In other words, raising ad rates is key to expanding margins — and if they can do that without adding more commercial breaks, it’s a win for audiences too.
Coming Soon: Maybe Netflix’s fledgling gaming division could get a boost by including playable teasers in pause ads. The format leaves plenty of room for experimentation.
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Today’s email was written by David Vendrell.
Edited by Nick Comney. Polled and Copy-edited by Kait Cunniff.
Published by Darline Salazar.