Thibault Penin via Unsplash
More than 5 million Australians are each month seeing ads on Prime Video, where advertisers are coming back for more with new bookings, according to data released at Amazon's Sydney Upfront.
"The last 12 months have been transformational, not just for our business, but for the industry," head of non-endemic sales at Amazon Ads AU, Jessica Roach, told AdNews.
"Alongside our brand and agency partners, we're writing a new chapter in streaming advertising."
Internal data shows 80% of Amazon Ads enterprise customers that bought Prime Video inventory in the first six months went on to book further campaigns in the following six months.
When customers encounter Prime Video ads during their shopping journey, branded search rates lift by 23% and purchase rates on Amazon.com.au increase by 29%.
The platform launched with immediate scale, attracting brands seeking alignment with premium content including The Summer I Turned Pretty.
Live sports programming also anchors the content offering, including an 11-year NBA partnership starting from October, all matches of the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 streaming live and ICC Men's T20 World Cup in February 2026.
Willie Pang, general manager of Amazon Ads Australia, said the advertising landscape was experiencing a fundamental shift.
"The Australian advertising landscape is experiencing a fundamental shift as viewers become more selective about their entertainment choices and advertisers seek relevant ways to enhance these moments,” he said.
“By combining our extensive library of hit shows, movies and live sports with our trillions of signals and advanced AI capabilities, we're helping brands drive full-funnel campaigns at scale.
“This isn't just about reaching audiences, it's about connecting with customers during high-value moments across their shopping and viewing journeys.”
The platform's integration capabilities are demonstrated through Amazon's partnership with DoorDash, built around the global Prime and DashPass offer giving Prime members 12 months of DashPass with $0 delivery.
DoorDash and media agency Wavemaker used the full Amazon Ads offering, with Prime Video anchoring the campaign through sponsorship of Nine Perfect Strangers Season 2, including a custom bumper aligned with the show's creative.
"Beyond that, we ran pre- and mid-roll ads and built custom audiences based on Amazon signals, what customers are shopping, browsing and streaming,” Roach said.
“The campaign extended into Twitch, IMDb (a go-to for entertainment enthusiasts), Amazon display and third-party sites.”
Results included awareness lifting by more than 5 percentage points, consideration by 4.6 and purchase intent by more than 10 percentage points.
The campaign reached 1.9 million customers with a 97% video completion rate.
Laurent Jaubert, senior marketing manager at DoorDash, highlighted the integrated approach.
"Our DashPass campaign exemplifies the unique advantage of Amazon Ads' full-funnel approach," said Jaubert.
"By connecting streaming, shopping and entertainment experiences, we've created a seamless journey that not only builds awareness but drives measurable business outcomes.
“This integrated approach transforms how we think about entertainment partnerships."
Amazon's $20 billion commitment to AI infrastructure in Australia by 2029 is driving advertising innovation, with two AI-powered tools launching this year via Amazon DSP.
Brand Plus uses Amazon signals from shopping, browsing and streaming to help brands reach relevant audiences.
Performance Plus optimises campaigns for performance outcomes across Prime Video, Twitch and third-party supply.
Complete TV, an AI-powered solution to manage streaming campaigns across owned and third-party inventory including Netflix integration, launches in Australia next year.
The solution offers 0% fees for programmatic guaranteed deals on Amazon properties and 1% fees for premium streaming publishers.
"We're also bringing Complete TV to Australia next year. It's an AI-powered solution to manage streaming campaigns across owned and third-party inventory, including the recent Netflix integration,” Roach said.
“This will give advertisers a streamlined, interoperable experience via the Amazon DSP.”
Three interactive ad formats are launching soon, representing what Roach describes as a significant shift.
"Three new interactive ad formats are launching soon: Interactive Pause Ads,” Roach said.
“With a click of the remote, viewers can add a featured product to their Amazon cart or, for non-endemic brands, engage with 'Learn More' content like behind-the-scenes footage.”
Interactive Video Ads will enable viewers watching shows to book test drives or access additional content through branded overlays.
Shoppable Carousel will allow endemic brands to let viewers scroll through curated product carousels during ads and add items to their cart.
Interactive pause ads transform natural viewing breaks into meaningful brand moments.
When viewers pause content, they see a translucent ad featuring brand messaging and imagery, along with an 'Add to Cart' or 'Learn More' creative overlay.
These interactive overlays remain available as long as content is paused, extending engagement opportunities beyond traditional ad breaks.
A Kantar US study shows brands using video ads achieved a 30% uplift in brand awareness compared to campaigns without these formats.
Advertisers using Prime Video interactive ads generated 36% more orders compared to campaigns without interactive features.
"Early results from the US are strong, and you'll see these formats showcased at Upfront. These formats represent a big shift, making streaming advertising more interactive and actionable," Roach said.
Meanwhile Netflix inventory will become available via Amazon DSP in Q4, alongside other premium partners including Disney+ and Roku.
"The addition of Netflix inventory to Amazon DSP is another signal of our commitment to being a neutral, interoperable solution for advertisers,” Roach said.
“Advertisers can now access Netflix's programmatic inventory alongside other premium partners like Disney+ and Roku, and optimise it via Amazon DSP.”
Pang said the Netflix integration and Complete TV introduction marked significant expansion.
"Today marks a significant expansion of Amazon DSP's capabilities in Australia,” he said.
“With our new integration with Netflix and the introduction of Complete TV, we're transforming how brands reach and engage audiences across the streaming landscape.
“These innovations, coupled with Amazon Ads' AI-powered optimisation and measurement capabilities, create an unprecedented opportunity for advertisers to unify their streaming TV budgets, reach audiences across highly watched streaming services, and measure the outcomes of their investments.”
Amazon has invested more than $25 billion across its businesses in Australia since 2011.
Keystone research estimates these investments contributed more than $19 billion in value-added effects to Australia's GDP.
Amazon Ads also highlighted retail media integration capabilities, with Roach noting the evolution since joining the company four years ago.
"We're really proud of our retail media approach at Amazon. I've been here just over four years, and the evolution in that time has been incredible.
“Prime Video's integration into our ad offerings has completely transformed what's possible.
“We're now able to run full-funnel campaigns, from brand building on Prime Video all the way through to conversion on Amazon, tracking that customer journey right down to cart additions.”
Unilever demonstrated this approach with its OMO Wonder Wash campaign featuring Usain Bolt, which delivered 95% incremental reach through Prime Video, an 11% year-on-year increase in branded searches and 50% of customers being new to the brand.
Maria Gudino, digital marketing and data lead ANZ at Unilever, said the campaign transformed from a traditional promotion to a powerful cross-channel story.
"Amazon Ads helped us to create a cohesive campaign that resonated at every touchpoint in our customers' journeys,” she said.
“By leveraging Amazon's full-funnel capabilities, we transformed our OMO campaign from a traditional promotion to a powerful cross-channel story that delivered measurable impact.”
Amazon will enhance its sponsorship portfolio in 2026, allowing advertisers to integrate brands into Amazon MGM Studios storytelling through custom bumpers, IP-driven custom ads, tune-in promotions and sponsored content rows.
Roach said demand remained strong looking ahead.
“The demand is strong, and we're focused on making the ad experience smart, effective, and user-friendly,” Roach said.
“With innovation in ad formats, AI-powered tools, and strategic partnerships, we're redefining what's possible in streaming advertising and there's much more to come.”
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