PPC & Advertising Updates
All Amazon ppc & advertising policy changes and updates for US and Canada sellers. 22 updates tracked.
Amazon Ads Launches Dynamic TV Creative on Prime Video at Upfront 2026 — Auto-Personalizes Interactive Ads by Viewer Exposure; Expands to Live Sports and Prime Video Channels in Q3 2026 (May 11, 2026)
On May 11, 2026, onstage at Amazon Ads' Upfront 2026 at New York's Beacon Theatre, Amazon Ads introduced Dynamic TV Creative — the first capability from Amazon Ads that automatically personalizes Interactive Video Ads (IVA) on Prime Video based on a viewer's prior exposure to the brand and on first-party shopping signals from Amazon's household graph (shopping and browsing history, Prime Video activity, product availability, and geography). The system cycles through pre-approved creative variants rather than generating new copy from scratch: a first-time viewer sees a standard TV ad with a 'learn more' call-to-action; a viewer who has seen the ad once or twice sees a product carousel; and a viewer who has shown deeper intent (e.g., visited the brand on Amazon) sees a 'squeeze-back' format where the TV creative shrinks down next to product images, price, ratings, and an 'add to cart' button. The capability is currently available to select U.S. advertisers that sell on Amazon and run Prime Video campaigns in CPG, fashion, and electronics. Amazon stated the offer will expand to more advertisers in Q3 2026 with broader inventory access including live sports and Prime Video Channels. Amazon also said its broader interactive ad formats have driven 5x higher purchase rates compared to streaming TV campaigns without interactive elements.
Read summary →Amazon Ads and LinkedIn Launch B2B CTV Partnership — LinkedIn Audience Targeting (Job Title, Industry, Seniority) Now Available in Amazon DSP for U.S. Streaming TV (May 7, 2026)
On May 7, 2026, Amazon Ads announced a partnership with LinkedIn enabling advertisers to access LinkedIn's Connected TV (CTV) ad inventory through Amazon DSP. The integration delivers LinkedIn's first-party audience signals — drawn from over 1 billion LinkedIn members and including job title, industry, and seniority — into streaming TV inventory served via Microsoft Monetize, the SSP from LinkedIn parent Microsoft and a preferred partner of Amazon DSP. Per Amazon's announcement, advertisers in the United States can now activate LinkedIn-targeted audiences alongside Amazon audiences in the same Amazon DSP campaign through deal-based buying — without splitting the media plan across LinkedIn and Amazon DSP separately. Chris Conetta, Director of Omnichannel Supply at Amazon Ads, said the integration lets advertisers 'reach B2B audiences alongside Amazon audiences through their Amazon DSP buys.' The partnership lands four days ahead of Amazon Ads' Upfront 2026 presentation on May 11, 2026 at New York's Beacon Theatre. Amazon's announcement does not specify markets beyond the U.S., does not give a separate launch/ramp date (the article frames the capability as currently available), and does not detail deal-based buying constraints beyond confirming this is the activation mechanism.
Read summary →Amazon Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM) API Exits Beta — Goes Generally Available Across 14 Markets (May 3, 2026)
On May 3, 2026, Amazon Ads' Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM) API moved from beta to general availability, opening programmatic access to Amazon's MMM data feed to all advertisers and their measurement partners — no invitation required. The API uniquely combines advertising signals with retail signals from Amazon's marketplace, so brands modeling media performance can now ingest both ad metrics and actual sales data through one feed. GA coverage spans 14 markets across four continents: the United States, Canada, Italy, Spain, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, Australia, the United Arab Emirates, India, and Saudi Arabia. The release adds six new endpoints around brand group override management, product and campaign retrieval within brand groups, and report status listing, and the API operates asynchronously so report requests are processed in the background and replicate console-generated reports without manual download steps. API calls must be routed through the NA region endpoint, but a single API relationship can request data across any of the 14 supported marketplaces.
Read summary →Amazon Confirms at Q1 2026 Earnings: Amazon Audiences Coming to Netflix DSP Buys Starting Q2 2026 in the US
On Amazon's Q1 2026 earnings call, CEO Andy Jassy officially confirmed the next phase of the Amazon-Netflix advertising partnership: starting in Q2 2026 in the United States, brands buying Netflix inventory through Amazon DSP will be able to apply Amazon Audiences — segments built from Amazon's exclusive shopping, browsing, and streaming signals — to their Netflix campaigns. Jassy stated, 'We deepened our Netflix partnership with Amazon Audiences, which enables advertisers to apply Amazon's exclusive signals from shopping, browsing, and streaming to Netflix's highly-engaged viewers to reach the right audiences and drive even stronger performance.' The Q1 earnings reaffirmation comes after Netflix's March 4, 2026 announcement that flagged the same Q2 US launch window. Until now, advertisers buying Netflix inventory through Amazon DSP could access the inventory but had to rely on Netflix's own first-party viewer data for targeting; the new layer brings Amazon's e-commerce intent and behavioral signals to Netflix placements for the first time.
Read summary →Amazon Ads Creative Agent Now Live in Seven International Markets — CA, FR, DE, IN, IT, ES, UK (Confirmed at Q1 2026 Earnings, April 29, 2026)
On Amazon's Q1 2026 earnings call (April 29, 2026), CEO Andy Jassy confirmed that Creative Agent — Amazon Ads' agentic AI tool that researches a brand, brainstorms ideas, builds storyboards, and produces ad-ready video and display assets — is now available in seven international markets beyond the United States: Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The expansion rolled out across Q1 (UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain on February 12, 2026; Canada on February 25; India on March 24 at Amazon Ads' 'Connected Worlds' event). Creative Agent is offered at no additional cost inside the Ads Console under Creative Studio and works as a conversational partner — sellers and agencies type a brief and the agent returns research, scripts, storyboards, voiceovers, music, and finished creatives optimized using Amazon's first-party shopping signals. For US-based sellers and brands expanding into these eight covered marketplaces, Creative Agent removes one of the largest cost barriers to entering a new locale: producing localized creative in-language and on-brand.
Read summary →Kindle eReader Lockscreen Ads Now Available Through Amazon DSP Self-Service
Amazon Ads announced on April 24, 2026 that Kindle eReader lockscreen ad placements are now available through Amazon DSP self-service open auction. Self-service advertisers promoting ebooks can run unified Kindle lockscreen campaigns alongside their other Amazon Ads campaigns inside the same DSP interface, using existing APIs — no new contracts, integrations, or separate platforms required. Availability is limited to the United States at launch.
Read summary →Acxiom Makes 10,000+ Audiences Directly Available in Amazon DSP's Audience Hub — Live Since March 16, 2026, Announced April 23, 2026
On April 23, 2026, Acxiom announced an expansion of its Amazon Ads partnership: more than 10,000 Acxiom audience segments are now directly available for activation inside Amazon DSP's Audience Hub, with the integration live since March 16, 2026. The direct API connection is built on Acxiom Real ID and is available in the U.S., U.K., and Germany. Meredith Goldman, Director of Amazon DSP, stated, 'Integrating Acxiom's extensive audience library directly into Amazon DSP's Audience Hub is a testament to that commitment.' The press release notes match rates often exceeding 80% and U.S. household reach above 90%. Activation flows across Amazon-owned properties (Prime Video, Twitch, Amazon Music) and Amazon DSP's premium open-internet supply. Until this integration, marketers typically faced lengthy onboarding timelines, fragmented audience data, and inconsistent match rates when bringing third-party audiences into Amazon DSP.
Read summary →Amazon Defers Ad Auto-Deduction Policy to August 1 After Seller Boycott
Amazon postponed its controversial advertising payment policy change from April 15 to August 1, 2026 after a coordinated seller boycott organized by Million Dollar Sellers. The policy — which shifts ad fee payment from credit cards to automatic deductions from seller proceeds — prompted significant backlash over cash flow concerns, coming on the heels of a new fuel surcharge and higher fulfillment fees. Amazon said it was giving advertisers more time to prepare but did not cancel the change.
Read summary →Amazon DSP Omnichannel Metrics Now Breaks Out Sales by Product Category
Amazon Ads launched a category-level breakout enhancement to Omnichannel Metrics (OCM) on April 14, 2026. Multi-category Amazon DSP advertisers in the US can now see which product categories their ad spend actually drives purchases in — at both the study and campaign level — using an exposure-based measurement methodology. The update is available immediately to both Amazon DSP Self-Service and Managed Service accounts in the United States.
Read summary →Amazon Sponsored Tiles Expand to Alexa+ on Echo Show via Conversational Entertainment Ads
Amazon Ads launched Conversational Entertainment Ads on April 7, 2026, expanding the Sponsored Tiles format from Prime Video to eligible Echo Show devices running Alexa+. When customers ask Alexa+ entertainment-related voice questions, sponsored Prime Video Channel and transactional video tiles now appear alongside organic results, and viewers can subscribe, buy, or rent directly via voice or touch. Alexa is automatically added as an inventory source for all new Sponsored Tile line items — no separate setup or new creative required. Access is limited to managed service through Amazon DSP at launch, and availability is restricted to the United States.
Read summary →Amazon Ads Launches Cross-Account Reach & Frequency Reporting (Open Beta)
Amazon Ads released cross-account reach and frequency reporting in open beta on April 2, 2026, letting advertisers measure de-duplicated reach across multiple Amazon Ads accounts and combine Sponsored Ads with Amazon DSP data into a single view. The release extends prior November 2025 and February 2026 capabilities by adding cross-manager account frequency groups and supply-level exclusive reach reporting across accounts. A new Reach and Frequency report template is available in the Reporting (beta) UI and via the public reporting API.
Read summary →Amazon Advertising Switches to Auto-Deduction from Seller Proceeds (Deferred to August 1)
Amazon announced it would automatically deduct advertising costs from sellers' retail proceeds before disbursement, rather than billing a registered credit or debit card. The change was originally set for April 15, 2026, but was deferred to August 1, 2026 following a coordinated seller boycott. Cards will become backup payment only when proceeds are insufficient. The policy eliminates the roughly 60-day working capital window many sellers relied on, and Amazon is offering a one-time $2,500 promotional credit to affected accounts.
Read summary →Amazon DSP Standard Display Creatives Now Defined by Region — Marketplace Field No Longer Required
Amazon Ads announced on March 30, 2026 that Standard Display creatives in Amazon DSP can now be defined at the region level instead of per individual marketplace. The marketplace field is no longer required when creating or updating a Standard Display creative, the language picker now lists every language available within the region, and a marketplace selector was added inside the Preview feature so advertisers can still review country-specific privacy and compliance information. The change applies only to Standard Display creatives — Video, Audio, and Component-Based (including ASIN-based) creative types are unchanged.
Read summary →Comcast Advertising's Local & SMB Customers Get Programmatic Access to Amazon Ads Streaming Through Amazon DSP
At IAB NewFronts 2026 on March 27, 2026, Amazon Ads announced a partnership with Comcast Advertising that — for the first time — gives Comcast's local and small-to-medium business (SMB) advertiser customers programmatic access to Amazon Ads streaming inventory, including Prime Video, through Amazon DSP. Amazon Ads cites an average U.S. monthly ad-supported reach of 200M across its streaming portfolio. Local advertisers can use Amazon DSP's location-based ad capabilities to customize creative by geography (regional offers, local pricing, local business info) while still buying through a single national pipe.
Read summary →Tubi Priority Access Launches Through Amazon DSP With 85% Authenticated Audience Match
At IAB NewFronts 2026 on March 27, 2026, Tubi announced Tubi Priority Access — a new offering through Amazon DSP that gives advertisers preferred positioning and first-look access to Tubi's most valuable audiences. The integration leverages Amazon's authenticated graph: Amazon can match 85% of Tubi's audience to Amazon data, described as one of the highest match rates of any publisher across Amazon's third-party CTV supply. Tubi reports that 10% of its household reach is unique and incremental versus other inventory available across Amazon's open internet streaming TV supply, skewing younger with 12% more reach in the 18-24 demographic.
Read summary →Samsung TV Plus Becomes First External CTV Partner for Amazon DSP Interactive Video Ads
At IAB NewFronts 2026, Amazon Ads announced a partnership with Samsung that will bring remote-enabled Interactive Video Ad (IVA) capabilities to Samsung TV Plus, launching July 2026. Samsung TV Plus becomes the first external CTV device partner to offer this capability through integration with Amazon DSP. Viewers will be able to act on ads using their TV remote — Amazon sellers can use 'Add to Cart' to drive direct purchases inside the Amazon storefront, while non-Amazon advertisers can use outcome-driven formats like 'Send to Phone' and 'Sign Up Today' to extend engagement off-screen. Advertisers will be able to access and activate Samsung TV Plus inventory through Amazon DSP using the same buying interface they already use for other DSP campaigns.
Read summary →Sponsored Products/Brands AI Prompts Now Billable
Amazon's AI-powered Prompts feature for Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands moved from free beta to general availability. These ads now appear in Rufus conversational shopping and are charged as standard CPC. All campaigns are automatically enrolled.
Read summary →Amazon Introduces Paid Deal Fees for Prime Day 2026 Submissions
For the first time, Amazon is charging sellers to submit deals for Prime Day 2026. The new structure includes a $100 upfront fee per deal plus a 1.5% variable fee on promotional sales during the event, capped at $5,000. An early-bird discount reduces the upfront fee to $50 for submissions made before April 30, 2026. The deal submission window runs March 24 through May 26, 2026.
Read summary →Amazon Ads Launches MCP Server in Open Beta — Connects Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini Directly to Amazon Ads APIs
On February 2, 2026, Amazon Ads announced the open beta of its MCP (Model Context Protocol) Server — a new integration layer that connects AI agents like Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini directly to Amazon Ads API functionality. The server translates natural language prompts into structured API calls, letting advertisers create accounts, run reports, launch campaigns, and expand to new locales by chatting with an AI assistant. Pre-built workflow tools collapse multi-step operations — for example, an end-to-end Sponsored Products tool handles campaign creation, ad group setup, and ad creation in a single prompt that returns a ready-to-launch campaign awaiting review. Open beta is available globally to Amazon Ads partners with active API credentials.
Read summary →Sponsored Brands Product Collections Now Require 3 ASINs; AI Replaces Custom Creatives
Amazon overhauled the Sponsored Brands Product Collections ad format effective January 28, 2026. Advertisers must now include a minimum of three ASINs per collection (up from one) with a maximum of ten. Custom headlines, lifestyle images, and branded creatives have been eliminated — Amazon's AI automatically selects product visuals and details from listing content. Existing collections with fewer than three ASINs can continue running but cannot accept new ad groups.
Read summary →Amazon Ads Updates View Attribution: ROAS Now Uses Shopping-Signal Last-Touch Model
Amazon Ads switched to a shopping-signal enhanced last-touch attribution methodology effective January 1, 2026. The change affects how view-based campaigns — Sponsored Brands, Sponsored Display viewable CPM (vCPM), and Amazon DSP campaigns serving Store inventory — credit conversions. The new model gives credit to ad views during early brand discovery moments rather than spreading credit across all impressions in a 14-day window. Click-based attribution remains unchanged. Legacy 14-day all-views metrics remain available under 'Purchases (all views)' families for historical comparison.
Read summary →Amazon Ads Launches Sponsored Brands Reserve Share of Voice — Brand-Registered Advertisers Can Now Lock Top-of-Search for Branded Keywords at a Fixed Upfront CPM (unBoxed 2025, November 11)
Amazon Ads announced 'Sponsored Brands reserve share of voice' at unBoxed 2025 on November 11, 2025 — a goal-based campaign type that lets advertisers secure Sponsored Brands top-of-search (TOS) placements for their own branded, exact-match keywords at a fixed, upfront CPM rather than competing in the standard auction. The official Amazon Ads setup guide states the program is restricted to advertisers enrolled in Amazon Brand Registry with active Sponsored Brands campaigns, requires reserving a minimum of five exact-match branded keywords, and sets a minimum spend of $6,000 per campaign for the U.S. marketplace. Generic terms, misspellings, competitor brands, and over-broad shared trademarks are not eligible. The feature is available in 20+ Sponsored Brands marketplaces including the U.S., Canada, Mexico, U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Brazil, Japan, India, and Australia, with self-service campaign creation through the Amazon Ads console or API. Amazon's beta data — drawn from 15+ advertisers between May and August 2025 — reported top-of-search impression share rising from 62.7% to 99.3%, click-through rate from 3.5% to 4.1%, lost top-of-search sales falling from 10.3% to 0.3%, and a 143% increase in click-attributed sales versus auction-only campaigns.
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