Tamir Bar-Haim. Credit: Amazon Ads
Amazon Ads is deepening its local push into streaming, strengthening agency partnerships and adding new tools as it scales its full-funnel advertising proposition in Australia.
The move builds on the ad-tier launch for Prime Video, with the company reporting strong take-up from brands and growing demand for interactivity, measurement and premium content.
“We’ve had a really big year,” vice president at Amazon Ads, Tamir Bar-Haim, told AdNews.
“We were excited to bring the largest ad-supported streaming service in the world to Australia, 200 million customers globally and five million Aussies watching premium movies, TV shows and live sports.
“The response has been really strong. Eighty percent of enterprise customers who invested with us in the first six months renewed in the second, which we feel great about.”
Sport continues to be a key content pillar, with Amazon securing an 11-year NBA deal and rights to ICC Cricket.
“Sport is key. We’re excited to pair the NBA season with the ICC Cricket here, and we think content will continue to be a strong anchor,” Bar-Haim said.
Willie Pang, general manager of Amazon Ads Australia, told AdNews sport and ad quality remain central to the platform’s value for brands.
“In this country, that definitely includes sport. With the T20 World Cup and Champions Trophy, the customer reaction has been really positive, and that will remain a key focus,” he said.
Pang pointed to Prime Video’s early performance in Australia.
“We’ve seen excellent results, 97% completion rate for DoorDash on Prime Video and a 23% lift in branded search when it’s part of a campaign,” he said.
“For example, if you're Nestlé launching a new espresso concentrate Aussies haven’t seen before, Prime Video and streaming TV broadly are great for building that story.”
One campaign, NESCAFÉ’s Prime Day activity for its Espresso Concentrate, reached 3.2 million unique viewers through Amazon Ads’ Brand Innovation Lab.
Mars’ ‘For You Who Did That Thing’ campaign was also cited as an example of what Amazon sees as high-impact creative.
“The AI-infused campaign that made people wonder if a Mars Bar might arrive with their Amazon delivery,” Pang said.
“That’s the kind of creative that works in video environments. It's very Amazon, not just sticking a video ad into content, but making something truly engaging.”
Non-endemic brands are also seeing returns. A DoorDash campaign reached 3.9 million people, delivered a 97% video completion rate and lifted awareness by 7 points, intent by 16 points and consideration by 4.6 points.
Bar-Haim said accountability and fragmentation were the two biggest challenges facing marketers.
“Historically, (brand investment) sat a bit on an island, but with today’s pressure on budgets, that’s no longer viable,” he said.
“We believe we can drive full-funnel outcomes and turn entertainment experiences into tangible business results by leveraging trillions of first-party shopping and entertainment signals in our DSP.”
Bar-Haim added that Amazon’s focus is on making its DSP supply-agnostic to help simplify the complexities around media planning and buying.
“We want advertisers to connect once and have a unified approach, not only to our own first-party supply but to thousands of other publishers, like Netflix and Paramount,” he said.
Pang said connected TV remains a focus.
“As advertisers plan across channels, we’re unlocking connected TV environments so they can tell their most impactful stories,” he said.
“Here in Australia, we’re definitely seeing digital video investment rise. And it's not just about doing full-funnel for the sake of it, it’s about driving better outcomes, which is what’s fuelling that growth.”
Amazon Ads is also expanding access for smaller businesses, with tools aimed at levelling the playing field.
“We've levelled the playing field between scrappy challenger brands and household names, offering the same tools to a local shop as we do to the biggest global brands,” Bar-Haim said.
The company has introduced AI-powered creative tools for small advertisers, including image generation and campaign optimisation via Brand+, which Amazon says has helped some advertisers increase sales by more than 10% and drive over 70% more website traffic.
“And with Sponsored TV, they can now access the biggest screen in the house, TV, which was previously out of reach,” Bar-Haim said.
Pang said 87% of advertisers surveyed believe AI will impact their operations, but half don’t know where to start.
“The dream is big, and our job is to make it pragmatic, accessible and easy,” he said.
Ad load remains a consideration.
“When we launched Prime Video Ads, we committed to limited ad breaks and that will continue,” Bar-Haim said. “As demand grows, we’ll be thoughtful about giving brands engaging opportunities that complement the experience, not disrupt it.”
Interactive ad formats, including pause ads, carousels and overlays, will launch in Australia next year.
“These drive deeper engagement, with more relevant and actionable ads, delivering better results for brands,” Bar-Haim said.
AI is expected to continue transforming the category.
“AI is going to transform personalisation, which is great for consumers,” Bar-Haim said.
“The blocker today is the inefficiency of producing mass creative content. But imagine a world where brilliant creatives develop concepts, and technology handles personalisation at scale. That’s going to drive real engagement and performance.”
Amazon has also invested in measurement and tech, including Amazon Marketing Cloud, and integrations with providers like Video Futures Collective and LiveRamp.
“Data is useless without insight,” Pang said.
“So we partner with providers like Video Futures Collective and LiveRamp to fuse best-in-class Australian measurement with what we’re doing internally, to give brands the most holistic picture possible.”
Bar-Haim said the business is focused on connecting brand building and performance.
“Our business started at the bottom of the funnel, with retail media,” he said.
“We helped build that space. Then we invested at the top of the funnel, creating premium brand experiences. Now, we’re focused on the connective tissue between the two.”
An early 2026 launch is planned for Complete TV in Australia, an AI-powered tool that manages budgets and delivery across Amazon and other platforms.
“Connect once, get a unified experience, save time and get back to other priorities,” Bar-Haim said.
Advertisers using the platform have reported campaign setup times cut by 75%, with enhanced frequency capping helping some save 26% of budgets and lift reach by 21%.
Bar-Haim credited Australia’s marketers for pushing innovation.
“Advertisers and agencies aren’t content to wait for global best practices, they want to define them,” he said.
“That’s refreshing to see. I especially want to applaud our agency partners. They’ve driven a deliberate shift, for example, from linear to streaming TV.
“They’re highly motivated to evolve brand investment.”
Australia is one of the first three markets to launch Complete TV.
“Australia is leading and has a real opportunity to keep accelerating in the coming years,” Pang said.
Amazon is also looking beyond its own platforms.
“Agency partners have leaned in strongly, pairing world-class content outside of Amazon with our shopping and entertainment signals and tech,” Bar-Haim said.
“That’s going to deliver strong outcomes for consumers and brands and it's a big growth area for us next year.”
Globally, the ad-supported Prime Video tier now reaches more than 22 million monthly viewers in the UK, up 15% year on year.
Amazon’s expansion in Australia reflects a broader push toward full-funnel, data-led video advertising and a bet that streaming is only just getting started.
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