At the 2025 Cannes Lions Festival, Disney and Amazon unveiled a major advertising partnership set to reshape the future of streaming. The collaboration brings together Disney’s Real-Time Ad Exchange (DRAX) and Amazon’s Demand-Side Platform (DSP), merging premium entertainment content with unmatched consumer data insights.
This move will allow advertisers to reach viewers across Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ with highly personalised, data-driven ad experiences. For the first time, brands can combine what people are watching with what they are browsing or purchasing on Amazon, bridging the gap between content and commerce.
Matt Barnes, Vice President of Programmatic Sales at Disney Advertising, said, “This partnership elevates the standards for the entire industry. By directly connecting Amazon’s commerce signals with Disney’s streaming ecosystem, we’re making high-impact, targeted advertising easier and more accessible.”
With Disney+ reaching 126 million subscribers, Hulu at 54 million, and ESPN+ at 24 million, the potential reach of this partnership is massive. Advertisers will be able to deliver contextually relevant ads across these platforms using Amazon’s consumer data.
For example, a pet food brand could now target viewers who are both watching pet-related content on Disney+ and browsing pet supplies on Amazon. This creates a smarter and more effective ad experience for both brands and consumers.
Kelly MacLean, Vice President of Amazon DSP at Amazon Ads, said, “This collaboration breaks down traditional barriers between content and commerce signals. It helps advertisers connect with the right audiences, allows publishers to unlock greater inventory value, and ensures viewers see more relevant, meaningful ads.”
The integration is expected to begin rolling out in Q3 2025 with select advertisers in the United States. It will later expand globally, reflecting the broader ambitions of both companies.
Notably, Disney+ inventory is already accessible via Amazon DSP in several European countries, including Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, and the UK. This early access signals how serious both companies are about building a global advertising ecosystem.
This alliance arrives at a time when both companies are undergoing significant transformations. Amazon, which recently made ads the default on Prime Video, is aggressively growing its advertising business. Disney, on the other hand, is working to make its streaming platforms more profitable and competitive through innovative ad models. By combining Disney’s storytelling and premium content with Amazon’s first-party data and tech infrastructure, this partnership creates an advertising experience that is smarter, more scalable, and better aligned with consumer behavior.
Furthermore, the collaboration will also use Amazon Publisher Cloud, which securely combines data using AWS clean rooms, integrated with Disney Compass, the entertainment giant’s proprietary audience graph. As more consumers turn to streaming, advertisers are looking for ways to make their campaigns more targeted and measurable. This Disney–Amazon alliance not only answers that need but sets a new benchmark for what’s possible in the streaming ad space.
Additionally, this move could influence other global media partnerships as streaming services increasingly seek to blend data, reach, and personalization. With this bold collaboration, Disney and Amazon are leading the next wave of digital advertising one where ads are not just seen, but truly understood, engaged with, and remembered.