Netflix turns to Amazon to make its ads easier to buy

With that, Netflix checks the final box on its programmatic integration tour, now live across all the major buying platforms — Google DV360, The Trade Desk, Yahoo and Microsoft.

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But not all DSPs are built the same. Unlike the others, Amazon brings a layer the rest can’t match: commerce data. That gives advertisers something beyond just reach — signals they can actually use to power their ads on Netflix. 

“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,” said Amy Reinhard, president of advertising at Netflix.

That is ad exec speak for this deal being a necessary step toward making Netflix ads easier to buy — and crucially being more performative. 

For Amazon, it’s a continuation of a quiet land grab across streaming’s ad rails. With similar deals already in place with Disney and NBCU, Amazon is positioning itself as the connective tissue of the streaming ad economy. 

“Our goal is to remove the guesswork for advertisers by making it simple to manage all of their TV planning and buying with Amazon Ads,” said Paul Kotas, svp of Amazon Ads. 

His comment says a lot about how Amazon sees itself in the marketplace. It wants to be the platform marketers use to plan and buy all their streaming media — not just Amazon Prime ones. And over the past few years, it’s quietly built the tech, the team and the pitch to make that happen. Gradually, marketers have started to take notice — drawn in by promises of de-duplicated reach, less media waste and more ad dollars actually making it to the publisher.

“I’ve spoken to two holdco execs in recent weeks who have told me they’ve moved hundreds of millions of dollars out of The Trade Desk into Amazon,” said an ad exec, who spoke to Digiday on condition of anonymity.

Now, with Netflix available through Amazon’s DSP, the rationale only gets stronger. Especially when marketers consider the economics. Amazon offers discounts on its DSP’s fees to advertisers who use it to buy third-party CTV inventory. In some cases, it could actually be cheaper to buy ads on Netflix through Amazon than anywhere else.

That pricing advantage is a key — if understated — factor in the equation. Since launching ads in 2022, it has struggled to shake the perception that its inventory is overpriced. CPMs debuted around $65. Even now, at sub $30, marketers still complain about the premium, particularly given the low ad load and limited reach. 

And worse, many still can’t clearly see what they’re paying for. Measurement remains a work in progress. Until Netflix changes that or significantly grows its ad tier audience, buyers will remain skeptical. 

Which makes the Amazon deal even more important. Not just for scale but for legitimacy. 

“Our expectation is that the company wants to continue to build a roadmap to become an industry leader in streaming advertising by combining traditional broadcast media buying techniques and new forms of advertising native to their platform,” said Tucker Matheson, co-CEO and co-founder of Markacy.

If advertising is central to Netflix’s next chapter then this deal is less a leap forward and more a necessary shortcut. It won’t turn ads into a topline growth engine in 2025 — not when the ad tier is still small. But it does speed up the timeline. Plugging into Amazon’s DSP makes Netflix easier to buy, which makes it easier to scale — something Netflix hasn’t been able to do on its own.