According to external media, Amazon announced at the annual Advertising Festival “unBoxed”, held in Nashville on Tuesday, that the ad-support version of Prime Video, a low-profile media platform, currently reached 315 million active users per month, well above 200 million viewers in April 2024.
The figure of 315 million represents the number of viewers supported by original and authorized dramas on Prime Video and live productions of films, sports events, as well as by non-repeated, monthly, non-repeated, live advertisements in support of the live channels. According to the Amazon interpretation, this figure is based on internal data estimates for the period September 2024 to August 2025 that “some parts of the region may have different go-live dates.” Jeremy Helfende, Vice-President of the Prime Video Advertising, described 315 million as “a transformational milestone”. He added: “The large audience, covering 16 countries, embodies our client-centred philosophy and is committed to enhancing the viewing experience while creating strong business opportunities for brands. We have only just begun to explore the infinite possibilities that will arise when high-quality entertainment content, high-level audiences and innovative advertising technologies and highly relevant and effective advertising are combined on an unprecedented scale.” At the UnBoxed Congress, the Amazon also showcased new advertising products and innovative technologies related to Prime Video and other products. Advertising is emerging as the new focus of the Amazonian media strategy, which in the past relied mainly on the support of the Prime retail membership system. Prior to January 2024, the on-demand content of Prime Video had never been included in the advertisement, after which the Platform switched the default service level to an advertising support version. Users may choose to pay an additional $3 per month to remove on-demand advertisements, but live content such as live sports events will remain in advertising slots. In the third quarter, the total revenue for the Amazon as a whole increased by 24 per cent over the same period the previous year, to $17.7 billion. In its financial statements, it did not single out the advertising income or other indicators of Prime Video.
Research has shown that Amazon retention strategies are beginning to bear fruit: last year’s survey agency Antenna reported that 11 million Prime members preferred to pay to remain in advertising services. The actual figures may be higher, as Antenna obtains data indirectly, such as through financial statements, and there is a general perception within industry that most viewers will not specifically pay for the removal of advertising. It is noteworthy that there is no clear statistical standard for “active users” in the Amazon and that the figure still questions whether it corresponds to independent subscriptions to accounts or to a household audience. It reminds you of Netflix’s recent controversy over the new monthly average viewer indicator – I don’t know. The algorithm model, which is based on internal data and household viewability, fails to clearly define the relationship between the number of subscribers and the size of the household. Netflix updated its statistical methodology a few days ago and announced its monthly active users at 190 million. Like most large technology companies, advertising coverage is self-reported and not from third-party measurement companies such as Nelson, unlike traditional stream media companies such as Disney or Paramount.
In any event, the Amazon is using the data to demonstrate to existing potential advertisers the audience size of the Prime Vidio ad. This strategic positioning is particularly critical as companies continue to compete for the rights to sport to increase the impact of the platform. Apart from the expansion of content. The Amazon simultaneously launched a number of AI-driven products: the new Unified Advertising Campaign Manager consolidated the Advertising Conservator and the Demand side platform into a single interface to achieve centralized performance monitoring and to increase the speed of advertising activity by 67 per cent; the Creative Assistant used the Generating AI to analyse brand assets and automatically claim advertising ideas (including streaming media video advertisements), which allegedly reduced the production cycle of high-quality advertising material from weeks to days; and the artificial smart tool Advertising Assistant, responsible for audience strategies and real-time optimization, and the Cross-Intellectual Marketing Programme, Full Leaking Out campaign, which automatically manages commercials, displays and collaborates with streaming media television advertisements. Corporate executives define these products as an important component of the transition to an “agent AI” strategy — that is, to assist human creativity and strategic decision-making through automated technology.
Prime Video has now introduced advertising services in 16 countries/areas. In addition to the United States, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
