The 2026 Amazon Upfront delivers a blockbuster entertainment universe built on precision advertising

From Oprah Winfrey announcing the next chapter of her media portfolio to Ice Spice being literally summoned by Twitch chat to Michael B. Jordan revealing his new series and NFL MVP Matthew Stafford reliving a dream season, the Amazon Upfront brought an expansive entertainment universe to the Beacon Theatre on May 11. The evening showcased how Amazon connects over 300 million ad-supported consumers in the U.S. across sports, streaming, podcasts, creators, and commerce—all powered by authenticated signals that turn every impression into a measurable moment.

"There's a difference between reaching an audience, and truly knowing them,” said Alan Moss, VP of Global Ad Sales. “Only Amazon gives you the premium entertainment, authenticated, leaned in audiences, and the insights to know what moves consumers. All in one place."

Amazon is building a connected entertainment universe where premium entertainment, authenticated signals, and full-funnel advertising come together to help brands reach engaged audiences inside the stories they already love. Here are the seven biggest moments from the night.

1. The authenticated graph eliminates the guessing game

Precision at scale starts with knowing your audience is real. Tanner Elton, Vice President of U.S. Ad Sales, opened the evening by illustrating how Amazon's authenticated graph uses trusted insights to help advertisers reach real households with ads that enhance the consumer experience. These are verified audience signals. Not assumed. Built on trust.

"This is the industry's largest authenticated reach: 90% of U.S. households," Elton said. "These signals give us unparalleled precision. That precision drives performance. And that performance delivers outcomes that matter."

Every time customers sign in to Amazon, register a Fire TV, or stream content on Prime Video, they create reliable touchpoints. Amazon’s authenticated graph then connects these insights through encrypted, pseudonymized signals—without exposing personally identifiable information to advertisers.

When advertisers can accurately understand the audiences they're reaching, consumers benefit from a fundamentally better ad experience, seeing ads that genuinely align with their interests and needs, delivered at the right moment.

2. Dynamic TV Creative automatically personalizes interactive ads on Prime Video

During the presentation, Amazon Ads announced Dynamic TV Creative, our first capability to automatically personalize Interactive Video Ads (IVA) on Prime Video series and films based on viewer shopping behavior and where the customer is in the shopping journey.

Dynamic TV Creative leverages Amazon's trillions of shopping, browsing, and streaming signals, along with AI-driven creative optimization and campaign management solutions, to customize creative elements at the time of impression. Rather than showing a single static message to every viewer, the capability dynamically adjusts the interactivity format, call-to-action, headline, and product details based on viewer journeys, from awareness to conversion.

"Historically, video ads have been about casting a wide net," said Sarah Iooss, Director of Global Agency & Global Twitch Ads. "With new dynamic creative in our Interactive Video Ads, we can share the right message to the right viewer, based on actual shopping behavior."

Dynamic TV Creative adds to Amazon Ads' existing interactive and shoppable ad formats on Prime Video, including AI-powered pause ads and location-based IVA. Amazon Ads' interactive video ad formats drive measurable results for brands: 6x higher brand search, 4x more detail page views, 4x more add-to-cart actions, and 5x higher purchase rates.¹

3. Amazon MGM Studios builds page-to-Prime fandoms that advertisers can tap into

The most valuable audiences aren't the ones who show up once. They're the ones who come back, bring friends, and build communities around the stories they love. Peter Friedlander, Head of TV at Amazon MGM Studios, unveiled a content strategy built around that kind of passionate investment: adapt beloved IP, build immersive worlds, and give fans reasons to stay.

"With our ambitious slate of Originals, we are focused on the best global selection — big swings and bold creative ideas,” Friedlander said. “And they are anchored by extraordinary talent."

The Culpables franchise has drawn over 100 million viewers globally. Fallout matched that during season 2, with a third season heading into production. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power returns for season 3 in November. And the night's biggest creative force was Michael B. Jordan, who took the stage to unveil The Greatest, a new series he's producing and starring in alongside newcomer Jaalen Best as Muhammad Ali, in the first project ever authorized by the Ali estate. Lonnie Ali joined Jordan on stage for the reveal. Jordan then revealed that Prime Video has ordered Fourth Wing to series, based on the No. 1 New York Times bestselling novel by Rebecca Yarros. Meredith Averill will serve as showrunner. Executive Producer Lisa Joy of Kilter Films will direct the pilot. Executive producers include Kilter Films, Jordan's Outlier Society, and Premeditated Productions.

Jordan's relationship with Amazon MGM Studios now spans Delphi (a new chapter in the Creed and Rocky universe, beginning production May 18 in Los Angeles), The Thomas Crown Affair (hitting theaters March 2027), and these two new projects. For advertisers, that depth of partnership means sustained access to passionate audiences across multiple genres and formats.

Amazon also unpacked Page to Prime, which covers the breadth of book-to-screen adaptations that are winning over audiences as original series and films on Prime Video. Advertisers can drive brand awareness and connect to these built-in fandoms through 360-degree brand partnerships with the service's most exclusive and buzzworthy content.

4. Prime Sports scores record-breaking, leaned-in audiences

Thursday Night Football just delivered the largest season-long audience in the franchise's 20-year history, and was followed by Prime Video's presentation of a Wild Card game that drew 31.6 million viewers and became the most-streamed NFL game of all time. Charissa Thompson took the stage riding that momentum, and the sports portfolio behind her has never been deeper.

"Prime audiences don't merely tune in, they lean in," Thompson said. "Our audience is younger and more likely to engage with advertised brands than sports viewers on any linear network."

Ryan Fitzpatrick and Andrew Whitworth broke news live on stage: this year's TNF season opener would be Lions vs. Bills on September 17 for the opening of Buffalo's brand-new Highmark Stadium. Last year, Amazon turned Black Friday into a 17-hour live sports feast spanning The Skins Game in the morning, Black Friday Football in the afternoon, and an NBA doubleheader at night. This year, the party grows even bigger with Duke vs. UConn tipping off on Thanksgiving Eve, marking the debut of live collegiate sports on Prime and the start of a multi-year partnership with the Blue Devils. Fitzpatrick and Whitworth also announced their podcast Fitz & Whit is coming to Amazon and Prime Video this fall. The full lineup now spans TNF, NBA, WNBA (31 games this season, including 8 featuring Caitlin Clark), NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600, the Masters Tournament, NWSL, Duke men’s basketball, and exclusive coverage of next year's NBA Eastern Conference Finals. AI-powered broadcast enhancements like "Defensive Alerts" on TNF, "Prime Insights" for the NBA, and the "Burn Bar" during NASCAR coverage create new engagement layers and new moments for brands to show up with relevance.

5. Oprah brings the creator universe to Amazon

Some voices don't just reach audiences. They move them. Fifteen years after signing off on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Oprah Winfrey walked onto the Beacon Theatre stage to announce her next chapter: The Oprah Podcast is joining Amazon—available on Prime Video, Fire TV, and more—with two weekly episodes and signature “Oprah's Book Club” and “Oprah's Favorite Things” segments.

"I am just elated to be here, and to begin yet another chapter, bringing ‘The Oprah Podcast’ to Amazon," said Winfrey. "This is where I get to talk to thought-leaders and bestselling authors and cultural change makers about what matters most in this moment and what matters to all of us. Conversations that go bigger and go deeper and help people feel seen."

Oprah's audience is deeply engaged, highly trusting, and primed for discovery. The Oprah Podcast offers advertisers a rare opportunity to connect with them through one of the most trusted voices in media.

6. Twitch isn't competing for attention. It's holding it for 72 minutes.

Most content earns a glance. Twitch earns a commitment. Grammy-nominated artist Tierra Whack shared that the average Twitch viewer stays locked into a single stream for approximately 72 minutes and then showed the room why.

"While the rest of the world is fighting for 30 seconds of attention, Twitch viewers are locked in," Whack said. "And a big reason why? Community."

She brought the Beacon Theatre audience into her Twitch chat in real time, then summoned Ice Spice as a surprise guest after chat flooded with her name. The segment also revealed select WNBA games will be part of Twitch's Creator Cast livestreams alongside NBA on Prime, and highlighted brand integrations like the Laufey x Lexus exclusive concert that gave fans access to new music before anyone else. For brands, Twitch offers something rare: sustained, participatory attention from audiences who choose to be there.

7. Full-funnel advertising at scale, delivered

Every announcement from the evening—the content, the signals, the creative tools, the live sports, the creators—built toward one thing, with Alan Moss, VP of Global Ad Sales, closing the night by bringing it all together.

Prime Video ad-supported customers now watch 17% more hours every month than a year ago. And this year, Forrester's latest Wave report named Amazon Ads the only leader in omnichannel advertising. From interactive moments to shoppable ads, custom sponsorships to natural integrations, brands can be anywhere audiences spend their time.

“When you offer hit movies, award-winning originals, and live sports all in one destination, customers don't just tune in. They stay,” Moss said. “And your brand…can be right there with it. From interactive moments to shoppable ads, custom sponsorships to natural product integrations, you’re part of the entertainment experience.”

Audiences are streaming more, staying longer, and engaging deeper than ever before. The 2026 Amazon Upfront showed what's possible when brands meet them there: not with interruptions, but with relevance. Not with guesses, but with precision. And not at the margins of entertainment, but at its center.

Sources

¹ Amazon Internal, Interactive Video Ads (IVA) Incrementality Study 2025 Update, Data Period: Full Year 2025, Sample: 14,518 IVA campaigns, 9,960 IVA advertisers. Study compared to standard streaming TV campaigns without interactive features