Amazon, Disney and NBC Sports are among this year’s Digiday Streaming and Video Awards finalists
The 2025 Digiday Streaming and Video Awards finalists reflect a clear trend: brands and agencies are prioritizing measurable results, personalization and creative collaborations to deliver high-impact campaigns. From AI-enhanced contextual targeting to personalized content powered by data, the work honored this year showcases how emerging technology and smart partnerships are redefining marketing success.
Amazon joined the list of finalists in the Best Brand Film or Series category with Boy Room, a short-form TikTok series that debuted as a comedic exploration of twenty-something guys’ messy bedrooms. After the first season, there was overwhelming viewer demand for transformations, not just observations. Using Amazon Prime to fuel 24-hour renovations, Boy Room evolved into a Gen Z home makeover show, blending humor, emotional connection and brand utility. The new approach resulted in more than 50 million organic cross-platform views — doubling the previous season’s numbers. The series resonated especially with audiences under 34, showcasing how Prime can fuel passions while solving everyday problems.
In the Best Use of AI category, Disney Advertising is a finalist for Magic Words, an AI-powered targeting tool designed to align brand messaging with the emotional tone of Disney content. The platform uses proprietary metadata tagging and machine learning to identify specific moods and moments within live and scripted programming, enabling advertisers to deliver more relevant and emotionally resonant ad placements. Through live sports partnerships and media agency collaborations, Magic Words demonstrated measurable lifts in viewer attention and brand favorability, particularly during key in-game moments. In one campaign, one brand reported double-digit gains in ad perception when using the tool, underscoring the potential of emotion-based targeting to drive engagement and improve ROI.
NBC Sports is a nominee in the new Best Use of Data-Driven Personalization category for its real-time, hyper-personalized coverage of the 2024 Summer Olympics. Using first- and zero-party data through its preference center and API integrations, NBC built a twice-daily newsletter tailored to each subscriber’s favorite sports and teams. With features like live medal counts, “Watch Live Now” banners, and automated scheduling across all platforms, the initiative resulted in a 33% lift in click-to-open rates and saved the NBC Sports marketing team two hours of prep time daily. The campaign highlights how personalization is more than a value-add; it’s central to keeping fans engaged in a crowded sports media landscape.
This year’s finalists reflect the ways brands and agencies are evolving their approach to streaming and video by applying personalization, data-driven insights and emerging technology. From AI tools that align ads with emotional moments to short-form content designed for Gen Z, the work reflects a clear shift toward measurable impact and audience-first strategies. These campaigns each manage to engage viewers while delivering results, demonstrating the value of innovation and strategic collaboration.
See the complete list of finalists below, and stay tuned for the announcement of this year’s winners.
Best Ad
1stAveMachine – “UO Carol” for Urban Outfitters
Guild & Sabio: “WTH is Guild?” Campaign
Life is Hard. Xumo is Easy.
Nulo: “Every Dream They Hold”
Best Ad Tech Innovation
Atmosphere TV: Live-Ad API
Evian drives campaign performance with SeenThis and Monks
Kargo & Sierra Nevada – Brand Refresh
Launch of LTX Studio: Lightricks’ AI Video & Storyboard Tool
Samba AI™: Smarter TV Data, Real-Time AI-Powered Insights
Wurl’s Launch of BrandDiscovery
Best Brand Film or Series
Boy Room – Amazon
Calix – The Gerry Dee Video Collection
Celebrity Substitute – Amazon
Driscoll’s One Family, One Earth
Jägermeister & The Lesbian Bar Project: FLINTA
Women Who Master & The Human Component Presented by Logitech
Best Community-Building Strategy – NEW
USAFacts — Informing Voters on the Issues that Matter
Best CTV Ad Tech Platform
Kargo & The Gathering at South Forsyth – “Vote Yes”
Olympic Success: FreeWheel & NBCU’s CTV Ad Tech Excellence
Samsung Ads x Liquid Advertising Drive ROI for Square Enix
Tatari
Teads: Best CTV Ad Tech Platform
Viant Technology and Direct Access: The Premier DSP for CTV
Best Digital Video Platform
Minute Media & STN Video – Enhanced OVP
The Vesper Platform by Endeavor Streaming
ViewLift – Leading the Future of Sports Streaming
Vimeo Central
YouTube
Best Distribution Strategy
Xumo Moves FAST Forward
Best FAST Channel
Xumo Free Movies
Samsung TV Plus Celebrates David Letterman’s Legacy
Best Interactive Video Experience – NEW
Ambient AR
BrightLine Interactive Ads Drive Success for “Friends” 30th
Business Insider and Amazon Ads – An Advertising Tail
Interactive 3D Overlays
Twitch Brand Partnerships Studio – Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
YouTube – The Analog Horror Project
Best Measurement Tool
Comscore – Best Measurement Tool
Conviva Helps Break 2024 NFL Streaming Records
Looper Insights: Best Measurement Tool for $MPV™ and pMPV™
Orangetheory gains leads via Origin/Claritas CTV campaign
Samba AI™: Smarter TV Data, Real-Time AI-Powered Insights
VideoAmp & Roku: Smarter TV Ad Measurement
Best Multi-Platform Video Campaign
Keynes Digital: Multi-Platform Success for Athletic Brand
MIDFLORIDA Credit Union & St. John Student Checking Campaign
Best Original Programming
Business Insider: Big Business
Calix – The Gerry Dee Video Collection
South China Morning Post – Eat Drink Asia
Tastemade Original Programming
Best Production Strategy
1stAveMachine – United Airlines Safety Video
Best Shoppable Content Strategy
LTK – New Video First Shopping App Experience
TalkShopLive & Kate Hudson’s Shoppable Living Room Concert
Best Social Video Campaign
A Savings Bucket to Honor You – Ally
Caught in the Smile 2 Curse: QYOU Media x Paramount Pictures
#CreatorOdyssey from Lenovo and Portal A
EPAM Continuum – Helping Dina Försäkringar Stand Out
Best Streaming Service
Local Now Free Streaming Platform
UFC Fight Pass x Endeavor Streaming
Best UGC Integration Strategy – NEW
YouTube – The Analog Horror Project
YouTube’s LEGO Festival
Best Use of AI
Bidmatic Powers Priamyi with HeroVideo AI Video Generator
Cadent + AdTheorent
Disney’s Magic Words: Connecting Brands To Moods and Moments
HeyGen Elevates Reply.io’s Socials with AI Video
Samba AI™: Smarter TV Data, Real-Time AI-Powered Insights
Vimeo Central
Best Use of Data-Driven Personalization – NEW
Bank of America’s Preferred Rewards® Year-End Summary Video
Flashtalking by Mediaocean + Jellyfish for CHEF’STORE
Locality – Launch of Reach+
NBC Sports: Real-Time Sports Coverage That Puts Fans First
TiVo OS
YouTube
Best Use of Live Video
Daily Mail’s TikTok Triumph: Record-Breaking Live Video
Nightcap
Simultaneous Display
The Worldwide Toast to Kentucky Bourbon
Best Use of YouTube
Business Insider
Law&Crime Network
MGA Entertainment & Little Dot Studios – L.O.L. Surprise!
South China Morning Post
The Volume
Best Video Podcast
Club Shay Shay
Like & Describe: The Official YouTube Trends Podcast
Make it Universal & Rotten Tomatoes: Seen on the Screen
Overtime – Best Video Podcast
Most Innovative Advertising Partner
Kargo
Omaha Productions
Rain the Growth Agency Pioneers Modern TV Media Buying
Most Innovative Studio
1stAveMachine – Most Innovative Studio
Most Innovative Video Producer
Business Insider: Abby Narishkin
LUMO – Habitantes del Futuro: Innovating Kids’ Content
Most Innovative Video Sales Executive – NEW
Alison Levin – Most Innovative Video Sales Executive
Disney’s John Campbell: Defining A New Brand Blueprint
Short Form Video of the Year
YouTube’s Social Collaboration with TheLandofBoogs
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