Amazon Ads is continuing its expansion across streaming and audio ads, as the e-commerce giant accelerates its rivalry with incumbents in the programmatic advertising sector, through a deal between its demand-side platform and SiriusXM.
Earlier today, the duo announced advertisers buying through Amazon’s DSP will be able to access SiriusXM Media’s streaming portfolio — an audience of more than 160 million listeners, including Pandora and SoundCloud in the U.S., with podcasts set to follow – making it the largest audio partner to plug into Amazon’s DSP.
The pitch to buyers is straightforward: pair SiriusXM’s streaming and podcast inventory with Amazon’s first-party commerce and media signals, then fold audio into broader omnichannel strategies that already include display, video, and connected TV, via the AdsWizz supply-side platform.
According to Amazon, the integration offers more granular targeting, AI-driven optimization, and the ability to connect audio exposures to measurable outcomes across the funnel.
What’s new
In a press release, Meredith Goldman, director of Amazon DSP at Amazon Ads, said, “By combining Amazon’s diverse audiences and first-party insights with SiriusXM’s premium audio content, we’re fundamentally reimagining how audio can be integrated into comprehensive advertising strategies.”
For SiriusXM, the partnership is framed as a step toward closing the gap between audio consumption and ad spend. “For the first time, brands can pair Amazon’s first-party insights with our audio content for smarter audience reach and full-funnel measurement,” said Sherene Hilal, chief advertising product officer at SiriusXM, in the same release.
Advertisers using Amazon DSP will be able to layer SiriusXM’s listener data with Amazon’s signals, apply goal-based bidding across channels, and fold audio into unified reporting. Amazon is also promising full-funnel measurement through its clean-room product, Amazon Marketing Cloud, where audio exposures can be tied to outcomes like site visits or sales.
“SiriusXM provides Amazon DSP customers with the ability to reach 160M US monthly digital listeners. Advertisers using Amazon DSP can now extend their marketing campaigns to include SiriusXM Media’s digital audio, managed programmatically in a single solution alongside CTV, display, and mobile buys,” said Amazon Ads’ Goldman in an email exchange with Digiday.
Buyers who previously struck direct deals with AdsWizz or used other DSPs to reach SiriusXM inventory will now have the option to consolidate those buys inside Amazon DSP. Whether that consolidation yields savings — or simply shifts leverage further toward Amazon — is likely to be the key question for agencies.
“Amazon DSP offers holistic measurement capabilities leveraging Amazon proprietary measurement solutions as well as leading third-party solutions. Amazon Marketing Cloud is built on AWS’ privacy safe clean room. Full funnel measurement via AMC can be used for audio the same as it can for any supply source,” added Goldman.
Still, questions remain for media buyers. Amazon’s growing role as both a retailer and gatekeeper across CTV and audio raises concerns about transparency, fees and potential lock-in. And while the companies emphasize “full-funnel measurement,” details on attribution models remain sparse.
Amazon Ads’ Goldman responded to Digiday’s queries, emphasizing the choices its platform offers to advertisers. “Not only is our ad tech agnostic of the supply ownership, but we have built technical protocols to ensure advertisers and publishers are able to negotiate and set deal terms confidentially, even confidential from Amazon,” she wrote.
DSP rivalry
Amazon Ads has been stepping up competition with rival DSPs, with the sector identified as a particular area of opportunity to accelerate the growth of its $56 billion-plus annual business. Sources note that it will look to match the commercial terms of incumbents Google DV 360 and The Trade Desk.
Last week, Netflix joined Amazon DSP, following earlier integrations with Disney and NBCUniversal, news that prompted a near-immediate double-digit dip in The Trade Desk’s stock price. These deals allow advertisers to use Amazon’s data to buy across competitors’ inventory, in some cases with discounted DSP fees that undercut rival platforms.
The alignment reflects a broader recalibration in programmatic audio. Advertisers have long cited fragmentation, measurement gaps, and inconsistent targeting as barriers to scaling spend in the channel. By bringing together SiriusXM’s scale with Amazon’s signals and DSP buying power, the two companies are betting they can address those concerns — while also nudging audio further into mainstream omnichannel budgets.
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