A Dramarama for All Seasons at Amazon’s 2026 Upfront Stage

The Big Message: Put all the services we have, use them in any combination you want, and your advertising will hit the bullseye with the audiences you desire. Or, if all you want to do is hang your campaign just on Prime Video’s programming, have at it. We’ve got more than enough shows for you and your audience in mind. “We deliver in real life beings, with real relationships, who choose to engage with us every day,” continued U.S. Ad Sales vice president Tanner Elton. “We’re across the full connected TV landscape. Our performance delivers outcomes that matter.”

Hosts: Elton opened and closed the event, with a number of Amazon, Amazon MGM Studios and Amazon Advertising executives presenting in-between.

What Worked: Star power from start to finish, opening with Oprah Winfrey (discussing her podcast empire’s move to Wondery, Prime Video and Amazon Fire TV) and country music talent Kacey Musgraves to Arnold Schwarzenegger (star of Prime Video made-for-TV holiday movie The Man In The Bag, coming out December 2^nd) and Michael B. Jordan, this year’s Academy Award-winning best actor for Sinners.  Impactful collection of scenes on display, some introduced by the show creators themselves (such as Off Campus’ Louisa Levy).

What Also Worked: Jordan getting his own segment to showcase a trio of new Prime Video series: The Greatest(the long-planned Muhammad Ali bio-miniseries), Delphi(a Creed spinoff) and Fourth Wing (adapting the bestselling novel). In each case, Jordan gave equal time to the key producers and/or performers behind the series. For The Greatest, he invited Lonnie Ali (Muhammad’s wife) to discuss the road to get the project started and find the actor to play Ali -- Jaalen Best. Best then described the thrill to play a sports legend. All that before running the clip.

What Can Work Here: A segment devoted to Alexa+, how smart TV consumers are using it and what abilities will be added in the coming months (like booking travel reservations or medical checkups). Ironically, Amazon used pseudo-60-second commercial breaks to tout another TV venture not getting the segment treatment: Amazon Live, the interactive shopping channel.

Data Points: Prime Video’s ad-supported format customers watch 17 percent more hours every month than during 2025. Ninety percent of U, S. households are reached and authenticated by Amazon’s service lineup.

News: Around this fall, Amazon’s ad sales unit will launch Dynamic TV Creative, a process that will automatically personalize interactive video spots on Prime Video series based on viewer shopping behavior, on the fly. In the months ahead, look for Prime Video to double down on both scripted series for a young adult audience, and genre sagas adapted from books or videogames. Fans of The Terminal List starring Chris Pratt can look forward to season two launching October 21.

Bonus Points: A lively “Up Late” aftershow at the New York Public Library’s main Bryant Park branch, complete with musicians welcoming attendees outside the entrance to food stations serving up saucy brisket sliders, macaroni and cheese topped with break crumbs, and Korean fried chicken bites. Some people taking special buses from Beacon Theater to Bryant Park (including yours truly) had the added treat of being entertained by a standup comedian -- standing up at the front of the bus. We kid you not.

Parting Words: “This week is usually about pitches and promises. We’re showing advertisers how Amazon delivers.” -- Amazon vice president of U.S. ad sales Tanner Elton

“I’m committed to building partnerships that matter.” -- Oprah Winfrey

“Our goal for Prime Video is to be the first stop in entertainment programming. We will keep delivering the stories this (young adult) audience obsesses over—the first loves, the friendships, the moments that shape who you are.” -- Courtenay Valenti, Amazon MGM Studios head of global film, streaming and theatrical

“There’s a big, huge audience for stories that respect them. It’s great business and it’s great TV.” -- The Terminal List star/executive producer Chris Pratt

“When the content is this good, people don’t just show up. They stay.” -- Amazon Ads vice president of global ad sales Alan Moss

“The biggest thing you can play is Santa Claus.” -- Arnold Schwarzenegger

Posted at MediaVillage through the Thought Leadership self-publishing platform.

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