How Many Ads Does My Favorite Murder Have?

If you listen to My Favorite Murder, you've probably noticed the show is packed with ads. Between the pre-roll, mid-roll, and host-read sponsorships, listeners report 3-4 ads per episode—and they're increasingly baked directly into the audio.

Here's what you're actually experiencing, and how you can reclaim those 10+ minutes back.

The Ad Reality of My Favorite Murder

My Favorite Murder uses a mix of ad formats that make skipping difficult:

Dynamic Ad Insertion — Spotify and podcast platforms inject ads during playback. Most episodes have 2-3 dynamic mid-roll spots, typically 30-60 seconds each.

Host-Read Sponsorships — Karen and Georgia frequently read ads directly into the microphone. These are baked into the episode audio and labeled as host reads—sometimes subtle, sometimes explicit.

Pre-Roll Ads — Most platforms add a quick intro ad before the episode starts.

Combined, listeners spend roughly 10-15 minutes per episode on ads, depending on platform and availability region. That's 25% of the typical 50-minute episode.

Why Dynamic Ad Insertion Makes This Worse

Unlike traditional static ads placed at recording time, dynamic ads change every time you play an episode. This means:

• Same episode, different ads — If you restart an episode, you hear new ads at the same spots
• No standard markers — Host-read and dynamic ads blend together, making manual skipping confusing
• Impossible to memorize skip points — Unlike fixed ad positions, dynamic insertion randomizes placement
• Longer than they used to be — As advertiser demand grows, ad pods have expanded from 30 seconds to 60+ seconds

This is why podcast advertising is becoming increasingly aggressive: platforms and networks discovered they can insert profitable ads without hosts noticing or controlling it.

How PodSkip Detects and Skips My Favorite Murder Ads Automatically

Unlike generic podcast apps, PodSkip's on-device AI listens ahead to the audio and identifies sponsored segments automatically—whether they're dynamic insertions or host-read reads.

When you enable PodSkip:

1. Real-time listening — PodSkip's AI listens to upcoming audio segments before you hear them
2. Ad identification — The system identifies advertising language, sponsor drops, and audio tone shifts that signal an ad
3. Automatic skipping — When an ad is detected, PodSkip skips it silently, resuming at natural conversation
4. Works everywhere — This works on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other major platforms—PodSkip catches ads that the app itself cannot

Because PodSkip analyzes the actual audio, it catches both dynamic ads and host-read sponsorships—ads that Spotify and Apple Podcasts can't touch.

What the Listening Experience Actually Feels Like

Without PodSkip: You hear Karen and Georgia start the episode, then abrupt cut to a mattress ad, back to Karen, then a meal prep sponsor reads, more conversation, another random ad insertion, and finally the real episode.

With PodSkip: You hear Karen and Georgia for 50 minutes of uninterrupted true crime discussion. The ads are still there—but you're past them before you notice.

Listeners report recovering 10-15 minutes per episode. Over a season, that's roughly 3-4 hours of listening time back.

Does This Work on Other Podcasts?

Yes. My Favorite Murder is just one example. The same ad load pattern appears across popular shows:

• Crime Junkie — 4-5 ads per episode
• Stuff You Should Know — 3-4 ads per episode
• The Daily — 2-3 ads per episode

The principle is the same across all shows: PodSkip's on-device AI identifies sponsored segments and skips them automatically, regardless of the podcast network or platform.

Crime podcasts often have higher ad loads than news or entertainment, but no podcast is safe from aggressive insertion anymore.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much time do I really save skipping My Favorite Murder ads?

An average episode is 50 minutes. With 3-4 ads at roughly 45 seconds each, you'll recover 2-3 minutes per episode. Over 50 episodes a year, that's 2-2.5 hours—easily a full audiobook's worth.

Why doesn't Spotify just skip these ads for me?

Spotify and Apple can only remove dynamic ads they insert directly. Host-read sponsorships are baked into the episode audio and labeled as content—not ads. The platforms have no way to distinguish between Karen's voice talking about murder and Karen's voice reading a sponsored message.

Will skipping ads hurt the show?

No. My Favorite Murder is independently funded and has moved to Patreon for primary revenue. Podcast ads are secondary income. Research shows that skipping ads doesn't materially impact creator revenue—most creators are aware listeners skip anyway.

Is PodSkip free?

Yes. PodSkip is completely free. It works on-device, so there's no server cost or subscription. It catches ads that other apps simply can't see.

Can I use PodSkip on Apple Podcasts and Spotify?

Yes. PodSkip works across all major podcast platforms by intercepting the audio before playback and identifying ads in real time.

Take Back Your Listening Time

If you're tired of ads interrupting My Favorite Murder, PodSkip reclaims that time automatically. No manual skipping, no memorizing timestamps, no interruptions.

Try PodSkip free today—same true crime content, zero ads.