Amazon positions live sports portfolio to pry open upfront dollars

May 12, 2026 Amazon touted its combination of commerce targeting data and NBA and NFL inventory as a solution to marketer wariness during upfront negotiations. It’s all about the live sports. “We’re not incremental to linear anymore. We’re competing at the broadcast level,” Tanner Elton, Amazon’s vp of U.S. ad sales, told Digiday. TOP STORY Business of TV Amazon positions live sports portfolio as leverage to pry open upfront dollars Amazon touted its combination of commerce targeting data and NBA and NFL inventory as a solution to marketer wariness during upfront negotiations. Advertisement OTHER THINGS TO KNOW According to research from Keen Decision Systems, only 10% of marketers incorporate prior knowledge into their forecasts, an indication that most start from scratch every time. Partner insights from Keen Decision Systems. More organizations are using AI to produce more with fewer resources — but the advantage comes from how creative and technical marketers activate AI, not just add it to their tech stack. Partner insights from Contentful. The agentic era is moving quickly — from concept to live campaigns in record time. Publishers who are agent-ready gain a competitive edge with more RFPs, more direct business wins and higher CPMs. Partner insights from Optable. MARKETING Marketing on Platforms OpenAI makes it easier to run shopping ads in ChatGPT OpenAI automates product ads for e-commerce brands, tapping existing catalogue infrastructure. The Programmatic Marketer Why Duluth trusts AI agents with bidding, but not brand storytelling There seems to be two schools of thought when it comes to agentic media buying. There are those who want to be at the so-called cutting edge, embedding AI agents in things like the process of buying ads and optimizing creative. Then, there are those who have drawn a line in the sand, allowing AI […] PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM GOOGLE AD MANAGER How publishers are delivering ads to millions, seamlessly and simultaneously The core difference between a live stream and a VOD is the sheer simultaneous volume of ad requests. Success hinges on a globally distributed architecture, where decisions and delivery occur closest to the user to minimize latency. Brands in Culture How GameStop went from struggling retailer to eBay bidder It’s still unclear how exactly GameStop, at a fraction of eBay’s size, would secure all the money needed for the transaction. PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM NEXXEN Native CTV is evolving into a scalable, full-funnel play As programmatic infrastructure matures across smart TV environments, native placements are becoming easier to activate alongside in-stream, display and mobile within the same audience and measurement frameworks. Advertisement DIGIDAY+ Member exclusive Ad Tech Briefing: Accountability in adland's agentic era? Contractual clarity and guardrails are non-negotiable when the machines take over running ad camppigns. PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM CONTENTFUL AI is helping marketers shift to being both creative and analytical Gone are the days when creative and analytical were considered opposites — marketers need to be both. Data helps teams understand what’s working, but creativity is what makes people care. ICYMI The Sports Marketing Playbook As upfront negotiations near, buyers chart path through complex sports market The DOJ’s NFL probe highlights how sports rights complexity can be ‘good for pricing, but hard on strategy’ for brands and buyers. Business of TV 'There's a big shift': Amazon is turning the upfront into a pitch for its ad tech, not just primetime The upfront is no longer just a shop window for content Amazon owns, it’s now one for its ad tech too. Written by Jim Cooper and Sara Jerde Were you forwarded this email? Sign up to get it daily. Advertise | Digiday+ | Events | Awards Update your email | Unsubscribe | Privacy policy