Observed Signal · Jul 30, 2026 · Earnings Report · Source: Adweek · Impact: 4/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Amazon Ads Reach $76B in 12 Months
Amazon reported $76 billion in advertising revenue over the past 12 months, driven by growth across search, streaming and adtech. In Q2 the company generated $20 billion in ad revenue, up 26% year-over-year, while overall Q2 net sales were $200.6 billion (up 20% YoY) and AWS revenue reached $42.2 billion (up 37% YoY). Amazon said Sponsored Products remains its largest ad format and a key growth driver, and its Sponsored AI Prompts have shown strong initial results. The company also highlighted Prime Video metrics—36 million viewers for the show Off Campus in its first 12 days—and noted 30 new NBA advertisers in Prime Video’s first year of streaming rights. These results were disclosed in conjunction with Amazon’s Q2 earnings and the investor earnings call.
Earnings from a major platform (Amazon) showing sizeable ad revenue growth affects retail media, search-based ad formats, and streaming-ad budgets across the industry.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Amazon reported $76 billion in advertising revenue over the past 12 months.
- Amazon's Q2 ad revenue was $20 billion, up 26% year-over-year.
- Amazon's Q2 net sales were $200.6 billion, up 20% year-over-year.
- AWS revenue in Q2 was $42.2 billion, a 37% year-over-year increase.
- Amazon reported 36 million viewers for Prime’s Off Campus within 12 days and 30 new NBA advertisers in Prime Video's first year of streaming rights.
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Amazon Q2 Ad Revenue Nears $20B
Amazon reported $19.8 billion in advertising revenue for Q2 2026, a 26% year-over-year increase from $15.7 billion in Q2 2025. The company’s broader earnings showed an outsized jump in net income — from $18.2 billion a year earlier to $62.6 billion — driven largely by $53.4 billion in non-operating pre-tax other income tied to Amazon’s ownership stake in Anthropic. The report emphasizes Amazon’s expanding AI and AWS businesses (with AWS AI product solutions cited as generating $25 billion in Q3) and frames advertising as increasingly integrated with Amazon’s AI-driven commerce offerings, including agentic shopping products and the Ads Agent tool mentioned by CEO Andy Jassy.
Amazon Ads Drive $17.7B in Q3 Revenue
Amazon reported $17.7 billion in advertising revenue for Q3, up 24% year-over-year, driven by expansion of its ad-tech stack, AI investments and live sports content. CEO Andy Jassy said Amazon’s demand-side platform (DSP) is now “fully featured,” enabling ad placements across third-party services including Netflix, Spotify and Roku and giving advertisers access to an estimated 80 million U.S. connected-TV households. The company highlighted AI initiatives — consumer shopping assistant Rufus (250 million users, cited as increasing purchase likelihood) and AWS’s 'Project Rainier' AI cluster powering partner models like Anthropic — while executing a corporate restructuring that includes 14,000 layoffs. Amazon’s stock rose over 13% following the results amid a broader digital ad market resurgence alongside Meta and Alphabet.
Amazon unveils new Kindle, Paperwhite, and Colorsoft models
Amazon has comprehensively overhauled its Kindle family, introducing new models of the Kindle, Kindle Paperwhite, and Kindle Colorsoft. The new devices feature thinner cases, flush displays, and a new display architecture. The base Kindle is now the most compact model, with a 6-inch display, 16 GB storage, six-week battery life, and 30% faster book opening speeds. For the first time, an aluminum-back variant is available with 32 GB storage. The Paperwhite is thinner and lighter, waterproof, with enhanced contrast via an Oxide-TFT backplane and up to twelve weeks of battery. The Colorsoft uses Nitride LEDs and a new coating to mimic printed paper colors. New accessories include the Kindle Click Bluetooth remote, magnetic cases with page-turn buttons, and charging docks. Sales start immediately in Germany for the Kindle, with pre-orders for Paperwhite and Colorsoft.
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