Following the Amazon Ads Upfronts event in Sydney yesterday afternoon, there was no shortage of immediate opinions and hot takes about the presentation. After several weeks of attending upfronts presentations, many in the room were quick to compare it to other pitches heard.
Mediaweek reached out to buyers in attendance for their initial thoughts on the presentation.
Steven Flood, Group Trading Director, UM:
“Amazon’s Upfronts event signalled the company’s firm establishment among top-tier TV broadcasters through its high-calibre production. The presentation emphasised a shift towards full-funnel media strategies, underscored by expressive hand gestures.
“A significant focus was placed on Amazon Prime, with a clear effort to reposition Amazon from a tech and performance-driven entity to a major player in entertainment and full-funnel advertising solutions. Aside from a logo, heritage Amazon brands such as Twitch were notably and weirdly absent. The content was divided between entertainment and sports, highlighting the ICC cricket series and 67 NBA games on Amazon Prime. Amazon also cleverly utilises documentary-style content to tap into fandoms of sports for which they lack rights, similar to the approach of Drive to Survive.”
“The event showcased returning favourites like Jack Ryan, Fallout, The Boys, and Beast Games, alongside new titles such as Blade Runner 2099, Spider Noir, and Elle. A notable evolution is the integration of Amazon MGM Studios, enabling deeper program integration and leveraging show IP. New ad formats, including pause ads with shopping carousels, offer endemic advertisers direct add-to-cart functionality.”
Shahbaz Khatri, Mindshare Implementation & Activation Group Director:
After the news of Amazon’s partnership with Netflix came out a few days ago, I was really looking forward to the Upfronts this year. I went in with high expectations, and I have to say, they delivered. It was a concise and confident presentation that didn’t waste a minute.
For me, the launch of ‘Complete TV’ was the real headline. They’re making a clear play to be the central dashboard for a brand’s entire streaming TV world, not just a slice of it. That’s a big, ambitious plan that will get a lot of marketers to sit up and pay attention.
They backed this up by unveiling a suite of new interactive ads, like shoppable pause ads and carousels, which is a powerful move to turn the living room screen into a direct point of sale. By packaging these innovations into AI-powered solutions like ‘Brand Plus’ and ‘Performance Plus,’ they’re making a very compelling case for a unified approach. Of course, the promise of all this integration still hinges on the DSP’s core performance, but it’s a very convincing roadmap.
If they can prove their tech is not just powerful but also smart and efficient, then they’re positioning themselves for a major play in 2026.
Shahbaz Khatri
Karen Shin, Media & Investment Partner at Avenue C:
The word of the night at Amazon’s 2025 Upfronts was clear: full-funnel advertising. Amazon showcased how content and commerce converge, giving brands the ability to reach the right audience at the right moment – and measure it. Prime Video ads now reach 5 million ad-supported viewers monthly, giving marketers visibility across the customer journey in a way few platforms can match.
Pause ads, shoppable carousels, and first-impression takeovers may not be new, but when integrated across Amazon’s ecosystem, they create a seamless path from discovery to purchase, offering a one-stop solution for unified TV planning and optimised streaming investments. The expansion of Amazon DSP and streaming partnerships with Netflix underscores Amazon’s push for cross-platform relevance without sacrificing targeting or measurement precision.
Content remains central. Local hits like Deadloch sit alongside global franchises such as Jack Ryan, The Boys, The Summer I Turned Pretty, Elle, and MrBeast, delivering both scale and cultural relevance. Across this ecosystem, Amazon isn’t just offering advertising – it’s offering a full-funnel playground where content, commerce, and partnerships collide.
The Upfronts weren’t about flashy promises. They were a statement: Amazon sees the future of advertising as integrated, measurable, and inseparable from content itself.
Karen Shin – Avenue C