How brands can harness quality time to make an impact

01 The mood
02 The message
03 The moment

The emotional gateway to attention

What do you call the moment when someone hits ‘play’ with purpose?

Despite having more and more ways to access the infinite content that fills our screens, the pace and pressures of daily life mean there’s less and less time to consume it.

According to Amazon Ads’ Elevating Everyday Moments research, almost half (49%) of UK respondents feel that their leisure time is limited. ‘Quality time’ – which Amazon Ads defines as the meaningful time people set aside for themselves outside of daily or weekly responsibilities and commitments – has become one of the most precious, and protected, commodities. And it’s being shaped by the stories people watch, the communities they stream with, and the media moments they choose with intent.

How much ‘quality time’ are we really getting?

Source: Amazon Ads Everyday Moments: The role of brands in quality time & entertainment (UK)

0-4 hours: 18%

0%

5-9 hours: 24%

0%

10-14 hours: 17%

0%

15 hours+: 42%

0%

For some, this quality time is spending time with loved ones (free of distractions). For others, it’s personal development and enrichment. Other times, it’s chatting while streaming a video game, analyzing gameplay during live sports, or marathoning a favorite TV series.

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Entertainment has become more than an escape. It’s an intentional choice and experience that viewers are curating around content, values and creators they relate to. With attention harder to earn, the question isn’t if brands should show up in these moments – but how to make them count.

LOL: Last One Laughing UK on Prime Video

Making time meaningful

Whether they are easing into the day by listening to their favorite podcast, live streaming Ibai Llanos’ ‘La Velada del Año’ boxing event – which broke sitewide records on Twitch – or catching a new episode of LOL: Last One Laughing UK on Prime Video, audiences are turning their downtime into something intentional, building breaks into their routines to reset, recharge and reconnect.

And they’re often doing it with content they feel emotionally invested in. Take Twitch’s ‘Just Chatting’ content category, for example, which racked up 6 billion hours of viewership in 2024. The hosts create real-time dialogue with their audience, incorporating brands into the streams in creative ways, from slurping Pot Noodle during gaming marathons to test-driving Meta’s VR headsets.

“When you advertise around and seamlessly integrate into content that viewers are passionate about, you’re able to drive transference of the emotional connection that a viewer has with the content… directly to your brand.”

Dan Clancy, CEO, Twitch

For brands this is an opportunity to be emotionally attuned, available on-demand and easy to engage with when your audience’s attention has peaked. It’s about meeting audiences in these moments of pause, whether through creator partnerships that already hold audience trust, or seamless ad formats that work around the viewing experience. It’s going beyond a media plan built around fixed time slots and showing up with relevance and purpose by connecting mood, message and moment to create long-lasting brand resonance.

The mood

It’s all about the mindset

People are multi-tasking more than ever, and with endless options fighting for their time and attention, it’s important for brands to show up with intent – to match the mood and mindset of their audiences. The why behind the content matters as much as the what.

Quality time: how do we choose to spend it?

Source: Amazon Ads Everyday Moments: The role of brands in quality time & entertainment (UK)

Streaming TV shows/movies: 44%

0%

Watching/listening to music/podcasts: 33%

0%

Playing video games: 36%

0%

Reading/listening to books: 50%

0%

Amazon Ads research shows 71% of people agree entertainment – books, films, music, television, and video games – improves their quality time experience. And 55% say they turn to entertainment to feel more productive, calm or creative.

These motivations aren’t passive, they’re purposeful. Unlike fleeting social posts, viewers often spend hours engaging with their favorite Twitch streams. In 2024, Twitch viewers watched 15.6bn+ hours of gaming content globally – and, on average, watch over 46 million hours of gaming content per day. It’s not just background noise – viewers often return to the same creators and game communities for a sense of consistency, comfort and connection.

“When brands enter the space thoughtfully, they become part of the cultural conversation, not an interruption to it.”

Dan Clancy, CEO, Twitch

This growth proves that there’s desire for depth and active involvement. And when viewers are emotionally engaged, they’re more likely to connect with brands that make them feel something.

What this means for brands

Think about how your brand can amplify the emotional experience. If your ad is humorous, consider working with a comedic content creator that matches that personality or aligning with a comedy series. Match the mood by aligning tone, timing and message with intent-driven viewing moments.

Find out how Domino’s and Peloton embedded into a custom Fortnite world with ‘The Glitch’ from Amazon Ads and Twitch.

Read case study

The message

What you say matters

It’s not just why to show up, it’s what you say. In other research from Amazon Ads, the Higher Impact Study shows that 80% of consumers love it when a brand makes them feel inspired. Purpose-driven branding has become a key driver of trust and long-term loyalty.

“There’s an inherent authenticity to live streaming – you can't fake it when you're live for hours... By combining live, interactive content with Amazon’s first-party insights, brands can create original campaigns that don’t just drive impressions, but make lasting impressions.”

Dan Clancy, CEO, Twitch

Audiences expect brands to stand for something, and the content they engage with reflects that expectation. When audiences are increasingly values-driven, the message matters as much as the placement. Brands that resonate can make the moment more worthwhile.

What this means for brands

If you’re going to be part of someone’s quality time, say something that matters. When you show up with purpose, not just presence, your brand becomes part of the memory. The why and what must come together to create something additive.

Explore how Nissan’s Possibilities Project tapped into real-time community conversations, while showing the power of leading with values-based messaging.

Read case study

The moment

Attention meets intention

Entertainment can bring people together – but its timing defines its power. They’re not just watching, they’re leaning in. These emotionally charged windows give brands a rare opportunity: to be invited into quality time, not just placed there.

Whether it’s sitting on the sofa with family reacting to a moment on TV or community-viewing a Twitch stream online, viewers are building relationships around content – and often making brand associations together, live and in the moment.

Sixty percent of people say they spend quality time with a partner, and 78% agree entertainment helps them unwind. These aren’t just media moments – they’re emotional ones, shaped by trust and togetherness.

Who we’re tuning in with when we switch off

Source: Amazon Ads Everyday Moments: The role of brands in quality time & entertainment (UK)

By myself: 12%

0%

With children: 38%

0%

With a partner: 60%

0%

With friends: 46%

0%

What this means for brands

If you want to be remembered, show up when and where it makes the most sense. Delivering the right message in the right channel and format – whether that’s creative aligned to co-viewing and daypart, or content that enhances a shopping experience – can ultimately elevate an experience.

An entertained audience is a receptive audience. And interactivity is key. Amazon Ads’ upcoming interactive pause ad format – slated to launch in the UK later this year – is a high-impact unit that appears when a customer pauses their stream. Whether warming up dinner or stepping away briefly, the ad keeps them in a receptive state of mind, with the ability to drive additional brand discovery or shoppability by adding a QR code or remote interactive ‘Add to Cart’ overlay.

Amazon Ads' interactive pause ad format is slated for launch in the UK in late 2025

Amazon DSP enables brands to show up at moments of maximum impact, leveraging first-party insights and AI to deliver relevant messaging when attention is naturally highest. By understanding routines, rituals, and live engagement across Twitch, Prime Video, and beyond, brands can create more meaningful connections with their audience.

Find out how Pot Noodle turned a slurp into a streaming sensation – and owned the snacking moment on Twitch.

Read case study

Final word

Making media time matter

In a fragmented media landscape, entertainment is quality time – and for brands, it’s a moment of earned attention. It’s about knowing when audiences are open to connection, understanding their mindset, showing up with care, and offering something that complements their emotional state. Whether that’s through a community-viewing stream on Twitch, a purpose-led campaign on Prime Video, the opportunity is clear: the brands that win aren’t just seen – they’re welcomed.

The advice for brands? Show up with meaning, not just media. Make the moment more worthwhile. And the next time your audience presses play, make sure your brand is enhancing that quality time.

3 ways brands can win in the entertainment economy

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Own the mood

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Nail the message

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Enhance the moment

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