Amazon is the latest major ad-supported streamer to claim viewership is increasing, even though the numbers haven’t been vetted by standard measurement services.
The digital giant announced Tuesday that its Prime Video streaming service is now watched by more than 315 million people worldwide. This compares to the figure of 200 million announced in April 2024. Amazon said this number is based on its own internal data over a 12-month period from September last year to August this year.
Amazon announced the numbers days after Netflix made a similar claim based on its own data, rather than data from a widely accepted third-party measurement service. Netflix has announced that it will switch to counting “monthly active viewers.” The company defines “monthly active viewers” as “the number of members who watched at least one minute of advertising on Netflix per month multiplied by the estimated average number of people in the household.”
Amazon and Netflix are both trying to better compete with their more traditional peers in the fight to win ad dollars from Madison Avenue. While there’s no denying the strength of both companies when it comes to developing engaging content, both companies have far less experience than many traditional media conglomerates when it comes to advertising sales. Netflix, whose offering is largely scripted dramas, comedies and movies, has been busy building out its lineup of live specials and sports. This content, which viewers tend to stream alone at moments of their own choosing rather than together, is still something that many advertisers covet.
Amazon says the numbers are based on “first-party original and licensed content, live sports and events, “This viewership expansion across 16 countries demonstrates our customer-focused approach to enhancing the viewing experience while providing powerful opportunities for brands. With premium entertainment, engaged viewers, and innovative ad technology converging with highly relevant content, we are just beginning to unlock the potential.” Enabling high-performing advertising at this unprecedented scale. ”
Of course, only advertisers and their media buying agencies need to accept Amazon’s aggregation.
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