#Amazon Inks Deal With IPG Mediabrands as It Spools Up Video Ad Business

With Amazon about to turbocharge its video advertising business, the tech giant has announced a three-year deal with holding company IPG Mediabrands to bolster its Prime Video ad business when it launches next year.

Prime Video will start including limited ads in Prime Video TV shows and movies in the U.S., U.K., Germany, and Canada early next year, with France, Italy, Spain, Mexico, and Australia joining them later in the year. IPG will support ads in all of those countries.

The deal will see IPG add Prime Video to its client’s media buying strategies, including first looks at new ad formats and content sponsorships in each region. Amazon says that Prime Video ads will reach an estimated 115 million viewers on a monthly basis, and will have “meaningfully fewer” ads than traditional linear TV channels.

IPG Mediabrands clients include Johnson & Johnson, CVS, American Express, Mattel, Henkel, General Mills, and other major marketers.

“Amazon’s latest offering brings a first-to-market opportunity for our clients to reach consumers at the category level in a comprehensive, scalable way – from culture and content to commerce and shoppable experiences,” said Eileen Kiernan, global CEO of IPG Mediabrands, in a statement. “We are excited to play a role in this game-changing addition to the streaming TV marketplace and serve as Amazon’s anchor partner as they bring Prime Video ads to life.”

“From our first conversations, IPG Mediabrands has leaned in so that their clients can be among the first brands to engage with the Prime Video streaming audience across the nine countries we’ll serve starting in early 2024,” adds Alan Moss, VP of global sales for Amazon Ads. “When we begin introducing limited ads into Prime Video shows and movies, Prime Video will be one of the largest premium ad-supported services in most countries where we operate. This means we can simultaneously offer brands unmatched reach and frequency to help them achieve their business goals.”

Amazon’s advertising push comes amid a streaming ad boom, with Netflix and Disney+ now offering ad tiers of their own, joining the likes of Peacock, Paramount+, Tubi and Pluto.