Amazon has started showing full-screen video ads on Echo Show smart displays with Alexa+. Videos up to 15 seconds autoplay full screen with no sound, and users can watch with sound by tapping or asking Alexa. On September 30, Amazon Ads announced the format in the US, UK and Germany. Here's how it works, who it's for and why CTR won't tell the whole story.
What Amazon launched
Echo Show already had ads: Amazon has shown video on the Alexa Home Screen since November 2024, and display ads on the new Alexa+ Home Screen since July 2025. What's new is full-screen video that starts on its own.
- Videos up to 15 seconds autoplay full screen and muted. Amazon calls it the Silent Autoplay Native Video Ad.
- Videos from 15 to 120 seconds run as Click-to-Video: they don't start on their own and play only after a user action.
- Next, the user taps the screen or asks Alexa to play the video with sound, then can click through to the advertiser's page.
What users see
An Echo Show sits in the kitchen, by the bed or on a desk, showing weather, news, photos and recipes. Now a short full-screen video can appear among those cards. Not interested — the user swipes past. Hooked — they tap the screen or ask Alexa to play it with sound.
According to TechRepublic, users can't fully turn off ads on Echo Show. They can swipe past an ad, hide a specific ad for 30 days or turn off interest-based ads — non-personalised ads still appear. Amazon hasn't disclosed a frequency cap.
How to buy Echo Show ads
No separate account is needed — it all runs through Amazon DSP:
- Available in both managed service and self-service.
- Creatives — existing videos in the Asset-Based Creative format. A 15-second video works without changes, on both Alexa+ and original Alexa.
- Setup: Alexa is on by default in Display line items, and Amazon sets no extra creative or campaign requirements.
- Markets: the US, UK and Germany.
Tip: if you have a 15-second video, make sure the first 2–3 seconds work without sound: large text, the product in frame and a clear benefit. How to make and test such creatives: Creatives for affiliate marketing.
Why this is an unusual ad screen
People hold their phone, open a laptop for a specific task, but a smart display sits in the room almost all day. There's no feed next to the video with dozens of competing ads, so the contact with the ad is very different.
There's a flip side. A home screen feels more personal than a phone, and frequent ads annoy more. Back in October 2025, TechSpot reported Echo Show owners complaining about intrusive full-screen ads — and that was before autoplay video. If Amazon overdoes frequency, people will start hiding ads and turning off recommendations.
What it means for media buyers
- CTR won't show everything. Someone may see a product in the kitchen and buy it from their phone in the evening. Expect many delayed and cross-device conversions, so judge the whole path, not just the click. How to set up tracking: Postback and S2S conversion tracking.
- Who it suits: e-commerce, visually strong products, brand-awareness campaigns and sellers on Amazon itself. For classic lead gen the format looks less obvious for now.
- Easiest to test for: those already buying video through Amazon DSP — existing videos can be tried on the new screen without a separate campaign.
- Do the math: compare reach, completion and final ROI with other video placements — the formulas are in Affiliate math.
In short
- Videos up to 15 seconds autoplay full screen on Echo Show, muted; videos up to 120 seconds play after a tap.
- Sound is turned on by tap or voice, then users can click through to the advertiser.
- Buying is via Amazon DSP with existing videos; markets are the US, UK and Germany.
- Users can't fully turn ads off, and Amazon hasn't disclosed a frequency cap.
Ad platform news every day in our Telegram channel.
Sources: Amazon Ads — Full screen autoplay ads on Alexa+, TechRepublic, Amazon Ads — Online video ads on Alexa Home Screen, Amazon Ads — Display ads on the new Alexa+ Home Screen, TechSpot.