Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Amazon Sets May 11 Beacon Upfront, Uses CES to Preview Unified Ad Stack for Live Events

The company seeks larger brand budgets by pairing its Authenticated Graph with AI-driven buying to turn live audiences into measurable outcomes.

Overview

  • Amazon confirmed an evening upfront on Monday, May 11 at New York’s Beacon Theatre at 6:30 p.m. ET, with a streamed option for remote viewers.
  • At CES, Amazon previewed a Live Events Optimizer in its DSP that lets advertisers tie budgets to specific games and time slots, with automated pacing, event-level reporting and existing frequency controls.
  • Executives are promoting the Authenticated Graph for deterministic identity, claiming reach to roughly 90% of U.S. households and citing an average monthly ad‑supported audience of more than 300 million in the U.S.
  • Amazon says its DSP now buys premium streaming and audio beyond its own properties through programmatic deals spanning Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, ESPN, Paramount+, Roku, Spotify and others, with recent partnerships including NBC’s 2026 Winter Olympics inventory.
  • Live sports remain the growth engine, with Thursday Night Football’s Christmas game topping 21 million viewers and NBA coverage hitting seasonal highs, while Amazon points to $17.7 billion in Q3 ad revenue as a scale marker.