The trend: Ad avoidance is becoming a standard part of consumers’ online experience.

• A December 2025 Clutch survey found that 93% of consumers engage in some ad avoidance; 55% skip ads, while 37% ignore them entirely.
• 62% of US TV viewers said they would choose an ad-free experience even if it costs several dollars more monthly, while a much smaller portion (38%) would opt to save money by accepting ads, per Hub Research.
• Ad tolerance is mixed. The percentage of viewers who say they “can’t tolerate ads” decreased slightly between 2021 and 2025, but 12% reported zero tolerance for ads in December.
• While many users do tolerate ads to some degree, most maintain a low tolerance for ads alongside TV shows. Twenty-eight percent of consumers can only tolerate one to two ads before upgrading to an ad-free plan, while 38.5% tolerate three to four, per Attest. Only 14.7% of consumers will tolerate five to six, while 8.8% cannot tolerate any ads at all.

Implications for marketers: Advertisers must accept that consumers will often go out of their way to avoid ads. But understanding the nuances of audience attitudes will help marketers break through the noise and avoid negative perception.

• Repetitive ads increase negativity. Sixty percent of US adults are less likely to buy products or services from companies that show the same ad repeatedly; 76% say repetition makes them less favorable toward the brand, per AD-ID. Marketers should use frequency caps and ensure the same ad isn’t served multiple times within a short period.
• Timing and placement also matters. Ads that disrupt content will likely be viewed less favorably than formats like pause ads, which appear at a natural break.
• While TV and social ads are the most effective, they’re also the most intrusive, per DISQO. Marketers can combat this issue by prioritizing interactive ads: 78% of consumers say interactive elements in ads are more likely to be engaging, per Clutch.