Advertisers using Amazon’s demand-side platform (DSP) are about to get a new perk: The ability to programmatically buy premium Netflix inventory, per an announcement shared with Marketing Dive.
The partnership could welcome an influx of ad spending to Netflix while expanding the streamer’s advertiser base as it chases scale. The integration will go live in Q4 in the U.S., U.K., France, Spain, Mexico, Canada, Japan, Brazil, Italy, Germany and Australia, the companies said.
Netflix has been busy stepping up its overtures to Madison Avenue, including by launching an internal ad-tech platform in more markets. The news also speaks to Amazon’s rising power in the digital landscape, with its tendrils extending further into spaces outside of the traditional retail media wheelhouse and Amazon DSP appearing increasingly formidable in that conquest.
Amazon and Netflix are technically competitors in the streaming wars. Netflix made its first foray into advertising in late 2022 while Amazon brought commercials to its Prime Video service last year. The two companies held competing upfront presentations, where broadcasters lock in major ad-spending commitments with brands and agencies, in the spring.
But Amazon wields a more mature ad-tech stack than comparative newcomer Netflix — one powered by troves of shopper data that are increasingly valuable for ad targeting and measurement. Amazon’s data power is paired with clean room technology that aims to improve campaign efficiency and performance in a privacy-safe fashion. Streaming and connected TV are experiencing a broader convergence with retail media, which has become one of the fastest-growing categories in digital.
“This partnership with Amazon perfectly aligns with our commitment of bringing advertisers even greater flexibility in their buys to achieve their marketing goals,” said Amy Reinhard, president of advertising at Netflix, in a statement. “By integrating Amazon DSP and enabling even more advanced capabilities together over time, we’re making it easier than ever to connect with Netflix's global engaged audience.”
Netflix has steadily added to its partnership roster as it looks to round out know-how in a notoriously complex industry, including through DSPs like The Trade Desk and Google Display & Video 360. Magnite, Experian and Acxiom are among the other firms working with the streamer.
Meanwhile, Amazon continues to enrich its DSP’s video capabilities through a vast array of premium publisher partnerships. The company in June teamed with Roku, the leading CTV device maker, to provide advertisers with what’s billed as the the largest authenticated CTV footprint in the U.S., reaching about 80 million U.S. households. The same month, Amazon Ads and Disney announced a deal that brings Disney's Real-Time Ad Exchange closer to Amazon DSP.
Amazon DSP this week also linked with ads management platform XR, a deal that seeks to better bridge ad creative with media delivery. XR is one of the first third-party ad servers to make a direct API integration with Amazon DSP, according to a press release.
“XR’s integration with Amazon helps advertisers extend their brand and messaging across screens by linking ad creative directly to the power of Amazon DSP,” said Sherman Li, senior vice president of strategic alliances at XR, in a statement. “This unifies their linear and digital advertising workflows and campaigns without disrupting how their teams work.”
