Why do i have ads on my podcasts even with premium?

[ToastMaster791]

This has only been a recent issue for me (the last 2 months maybe), but it's been a constant thing with every podcast I listen to.

Each time I go to listen to a podcast, it opens up immediately with a 1-2 minute ad, then periodically sometimes in the middle of sentences another 1-2 minute ad starts playing.

If I pay every month for "no ads" how come I'm getting them now? I've been re-listening to a podcast I love which had no ads whatsoever even before I had premium, and now all of the sudden ads are everywhere in these episodes.

So what's happening? Why do I pay monthly for something that doesn't even give me what I pay for? I'm thinking of switching apps because this is just frustrating.

[ToastMaster791]

Hey, I want to clarify here.  Podcasts usually include some advertising. This has been the case since the early days of podcasts, and continues to be true today, including on Spotify. Even as a Premium user, you may receive advertising or sponsored messages when playing a podcast. If you are a Premium user, you will still enjoy an ad-free music listening experience but this doesn't apply to podcasts. We don't offer premium podcast subscriptions. 

[Corry15]

@ThePodfather - you didn't really answer the question but restating the fact. So why exactly Spotify doesn't offer premium podcast subscriptions or ad-free podcast alternatives/options? Just because that was the way it was done in the past - doesn't mean you have to continue that tradition.

I'm really starting to reconsider my premium subscription with Spotify, particularly with the recent changes that downgrades the user experience such as removing of the New Episode list. You need to have better UI experience in your Spotify app!

[Cactus-Cat]

I'm just now noticing this issue too... They aren't third party ads, they're through Spotify's separate advertisement window that you can't skip to get back to the podcast episode. I'm so confused why this suddenly started happening... I don't regularly listen to podcasts and it's been about 4 months since I did last.. But seriously, there weren't any ads ever before and I'm paying $20 a month, this is ridiculous!!

[blackangusbeef]

Plan

Premium

Country

USA

Device

iPhone 14 and Amazon Echo

Operating System

iOS 18.5

My Question or Issue

Was jump-scared awake this morning by an ad that played when my normal 10-hour white noise transitioned to a different sleep podcast (linked below). When I replayed the beginning of this podcast on my phone, the ad was nowhere to be found and it played normally. When I tried to play it again on my Echo, the ad was almost unskippable. I tried to fast forward 15 seconds but the ad just restarted and played again at the 0:17 sec mark. I fast forwarded multiple times to try and escape it and the ad started cutting in and out as it tried to reset, but couldn't play by the 2 minute mark. The podcast wouldn't play at all after the ad had glitched, so it was just silence after. This is the third or fourth time I've awoken to a heart attack at a human voice trying to sell me something. The Echo already has a plethora of Spotify glitches, but this one is by far the most disrupting. 

The connection to my Amazon Echo wasn't a normal bluetooth one but rather the Connect option that lets you directly connect to a speaker regardless of bluetooth setting.

Someone else had a similar submission when I was looking for a preexisting topic of the same problem but the guy who responded just pretended it was an embedded ad and not a spotify glitch. Figured I'd create a new topic that made it abundantly clear this was not an embedded ad. This is also the second time I've tried to create this topic, since my first one was erased because I tried to link the podcast that glitched. 

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5ZhExKJLHu7CkEmzif56wu?si=b65ceb885c8a4404

[LDaemontus]

This might have been the case originally, but I have reason to believe that Spotify's mobile platform has become exceptionally hostile for those of us who rely on Premium for undisturbed listening while attempting to sleep. My husband & I had a similar, if not exact, experience that the original poster outlines in this thread early in the night where the specific episode we were enjoying was interrupted multiple times by a persistent advertisement that wasn't being acknowledged in any fashion by the podcast team. 

Now, keep in mind, these particular creators are small artists who prefer to plug themselves or their friends. They don't do sponsorships, advertisements or any other monetizing behaviors, not even for YouTube. It has been made quite clear, multiple times, in their podcasts that the version they upload across all platforms is the same version, and again, I'm listening to the same episode on desktop with no issues regarding advertisements. 

I have no problem with podcasts plugging sponsorships or third-party advertisements within their programs. However, in this case, it was an issue on Spotify's end and, yes, if I'm paying for ad-free experience, I want that benefit to apply across the platform. 

[scheckmir]

I get that, but what is with the Spotify ADS on some podcasts???

I get podcasts have their own ads but it's rude for Spotify to have their own ads play....

[4-q5ebibd_ib9]

Bold faced lie. Spotify is adding these ads not the creators. I now get them in the middle of meditation podcasts. Completely ruins the meditation. 

[Citronne]

I confirm this problem. I live in France and listen to podcasts from the US or in English and I here ads in French that are definitely not part of the podcast.

I have been a member of Spotify for years but the fact that they outright lie on their advertisement makes me reconsider and want to change my subscription.

[kerrakoze]

Podcasts and mostly Spotify premium ruined because of recent wave of ads for podcasts. It's not about the ocasional ads embedded in the podcast. It's about invasive, repetitive, constant, increased volume ads that plague a payed service. Doesn't make any sense at all.

At least if any content has any form of ad inserted, it should be clearly stated before you even click.

[Aakkee]

I'm listening to a podcast and i'm getting finnish commecrials in between it. WHY?
If paying doens't get rid of the ads, why pay anything?

[PodcastEnjoyer]

Absolutely unacceptable to be getting Spotify injected ads in a podcast when I am paying for premium.

[12172729144]

na minha conta premium <moderator snip> também esta acontecendo isso durante a reprodução do podcast e não é anuncio do proprio podcast, é da 99 e outras empresas.

[CyrusCh]

Plan

Premium Duo

Country

Hong Kong

Device

iphone 15 plus

Operating System

iOS 18.5

My Question or Issue

I still get ads which presumably have not been placed by the podcast hot but spotify themselves, is this supposed to happen ? I’m paying for premium and did not expect to see advertisements at all 

[MissM3M4]

Most of the podcasts on spotify tend to have a youtube channel as well. I have a youtube premium subscription and listen to podcasts on this platform now as they don't have ads. I understand non-spotify podcasts having advertising but when I'm paying for an ad-free subscription it annoys me that podcats produced by spotify have ads.

[Tekhne]

Plan

Premium

Country

Portugal

Device

Surface Laptop

Operating System

Windows 11

My Question or Issue

This is not about ads from the podcast directly. I keep getting the podcast INTERRUPTED (paused) and multiple 30 second ads that have nothing to do with the podcast or host start playing.
The information for Premium plans says there are NO ADs while this keeps happening on the podcasts.

[imnotarobotuser]

This is insane- not only is Spotify investing in military AI, but on top of that you're forcing paying premium customers to listen to ads. I hate this company and am cancelling my subscription immediately. 

[BlinkingStaff]

That's why I'm a fan of Revanced, patch every single **bleep** app and block that awful behavior...

[ilanberko]

I’ve been a paying Spotify Premium subscriber for years, mainly because I value an ad-free listening experience. Starting recently, I’ve begun hearing local, targeted ads during podcasts — clearly not creator-recorded sponsorships, but dynamically inserted commercials in my own language. This feels misleading. Premium is marketed as an ad-free experience, yet now Spotify is earning extra revenue from ads while we still pay full price. If this is the new direction, either remove these ads for Premium users or reduce the subscription price to reflect the fact that we are now also monetized through advertising. This move harms trust and makes paying customers feel like they’re getting less value for the same price.

[Traitor805]

Why is Spotify giving ads BETWEEN podcast episodes DIRECTLY from Spotify to users with premium? *IMPORTANT DISTINCTION* This is not about ads within podcasts inserted as part of the podcasts themselves. This is, as previously described, BY spotify, BETWEEN podcasts.

[tmetcalf44]

100% - I have noticed this, and skipping it too.
Please @spotify address and fix this issue.

[tmetcalf44]

The point of a paid subscription:
Spotify gets revenue that replaces ads.
Customers get the ad-free experience they seek.