The 2025 HAQM Upfront spotlights a vast entertainment universe and a one-stop shop for customers and advertisers
May 12,2025
With appearances by superstars across TV, film, sports, podcasting, music, and streaming, the 2025 HAQM Upfront showcased an ambitious vision for the future of entertainment and ad innovations. The star-studded event spotlighted how HAQM pushes the boundaries across entertainment, live streaming, sports, and advertising to blend premium entertainment, innovative technology, and unparalleled audience reach for advertisers.
And this reach continues to grow. HAQM announced on Monday, May 12, that their ad-supported monthly reach in the U.S. has expanded to an audience of over 300 million across owned and operated supply and beyond, marking a significant milestone in the company's growth. Prime Video's ad-supported monthly audience has reached more than 130 million in the U.S., with engagement increasing to 37% in monthly viewing hours. 88% of these customers shop on HAQM.com, which means a product they see during Cross could be in their cart before the ad ends and on their doorstep the next day.
HAQM has announced that their ad-supported monthly reach in the U.S. has expanded to an audience of over 300 million across owned and operated supply and beyond.
“We’re connecting with these customers sun-up to sundown, through the content they obsess over, and the services that make their lives easier, and the products they need and want,” said Tanner Elton, Vice President of U.S. Ad Sales. “With HAQM you get it all—you buy into one powerful, interconnected community fueled with trillions of insights.”
From new shoppable, interactive ads to innovative contextual ad formats—HAQM is helping to create a one-stop shop for all advertiser needs across their entertainment universe.
Throughout the evening at the Beacon Theatre in New York City, HAQM demonstrated how they have expanded their year-round sports programming, invested in must-watch Original Shows and Movies, innovated with next-generation advertising solutions, and offered brands unique ways to engage with communities through live streaming.
Throughout the HAQM Upfront presentation, A-list stars helped show off the forthcoming releases from HAQM MGM Studios.
(Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for HAQM)
Original content and streaming experiences that capture cultural moments
From blasted post-apocalyptic landscapes to beloved coming-of-age stories to action comedies about world leaders, HAQM gave a thrilling tour of their upcoming lineup of Original Shows and Movies. And to help show off the slate of forthcoming releases, HAQM was joined throughout the presentation by stars like Jason Momoa, Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Aaron Moten, Walton Goggins, Elizabeth Banks, Octavia Spencer, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael B. Jordan, John Cena, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Following its record-breaking success, Fallout will return for Season 2 in December 2025, introducing viewers to the wasteland of New Vegas. Jimmy Donaldson and his crew will return to Prime Video for two more seasons of Beast Games kicking off at the end of this year. HAQM also offered a first look at Spider-Noir, starring Nicolas Cage in his first television series. And Michael B. Jordan introduced Delphi, the first television project based on the Creed franchise, which he’ll be executive producing.
Female-driven storytelling remains a priority for HAQM MGM Studios, with new series Scarpetta starring Nicole Kidman and Jamie Lee Curtis, and The Better Sister with Jessica Biel and Elizabeth Banks. Prime Video also continues to expand their young adult programming with the Legally Blonde prequel series Elle, featuring rising star Lexi Minetree, alongside returning favorites like The Summer I Turned Pretty.
Whether it’s hit podcasts or beloved shows, brands are harnessing the power of the entire HAQM canvas.
"We love delighting audiences with big event programming like Fallout, Reacher, The Boys, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, and more. All returning soon. We’re continually building the next generation of hits,” said Vernon Sanders, Global Head of Television for HAQM MGM Studios.
With critical darlings like American Fiction and Nickel Boys or conversation starters like Challengers and Another Simple Favor, along with global hits like Red One and Culpa Tuya, HAQM MGM Studios makes movies that appeal to all audiences.
“We're investing in films across every genre—comedy, action/adventures, sci-fi, fantasy, romances, holiday favorites, and titles the whole family can enjoy. That's how we're building a film slate that doesn't just entertain, but endures,“ said Courtenay Valenti, Head of Theatrical and Streaming Film at HAQM MGM Studios.
During the HAQM Upfront presentation, A-list stars helped show off the forthcoming film releases from HAQM MGM Studios. These include the action-comedy Heads of State, starring John Cena, Idris Elba, and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and the Shane Black-directed thriller Play Dirty with Mark Wahlberg and LaKeith Stanfield. This holiday season will bring Oh. What. Fun. starring Michelle Pfeiffer, and then in 2026, Arnold Schwarzenegger's return to holiday movies with The Man with the Bag.
Some of the biggest names in TV, film, sports, podcasting, music, and streaming, helped HAQM showcase an ambitious vision for the future of entertainment and ad innovations.
(Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for HAQM)
Two of the most famous brothers in sports today—Jason and Travis Kelce—also made an appearance to highlight their content that spans the HAQM entertainment universe, from their popular podcast New Heights on Wondery to Travis’s game show Are You Smarter than a Celebrity? on Prime Video. Whether it’s hit podcasts or beloved shows, brands are harnessing the power of the entire HAQM canvas, working with one unified community that understands what customers want. Twitch also offers brands a place to connect with engaged communities through the streamers they love. In fact, world-renowned EDM DJ Steve Aoki opened the HAQM Upfront with a DJ set, also livestreamed on Twitch, where he’s expanded his following even further. Lizzo also made an appearance during the show to explain how she connects with her fans on both Twitch and HAQM Music.
A new playbook for live sports programming
Joined by some of the biggest names in sports like Taylor Rooks, Blake Griffin, Udonis Haslem, and Candace Parker, HAQM also showcased the scope of their year-round sports offerings, which includes the NFL, NBA, WNBA, NASCAR, and NWSL. In recent years, HAQM has continued to expand their sports offerings on Prime Video, built on the foundation of Thursday Night Football, which just recently hit its largest ever audience. HAQM is becoming the new home court for the NBA's biggest games starting October 24, with an 11-year deal that includes more than 65 regular-season games, exclusive Emirates NBA Cup knock-out rounds, and playoff action. The excitement continues with WNBA coverage tipping off May 22, featuring six Indiana Fever games. Additionally, NASCAR makes their Prime Video debut on May 25 at the Coca-Cola 600, with commentary from racing legends Dale Jr. and Carl Edwards, further diversifying HAQM's sports portfolio.
Advertisers can now reach deeply engaged audiences across multiple sports and entertainment properties, while leveraging real-time purchasing capabilities and comprehensive consumer insights for more precise targeting.
Thursday Night Football host Charissa Thompson revealed this year's anticipated Black Friday NFL matchup between the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles, building on the success of previous years' holiday games. Thompson also shared that Black Friday on Prime Video is going bigger than ever with an NBA double header following football, dubbing it “The Greatest Friday in Sports.” 27 days later, the merriment culminates with a prime-time Christmas night gathering of the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs that may determine the fate of the AFC West crown.
Black Friday has served as a perfect example for how Prime Video can bring live entertainment and commerce together in one home. HAQM has a unique ability to turn commercials into instant shopping opportunities, allowing viewers to purchase products directly through their remote during live broadcasts. For advertisers, this convergence of premium sports content and advanced technology opens up a whole new playing field. They can now reach deeply engaged audiences across multiple sports and entertainment properties, while leveraging real-time purchasing capabilities and comprehensive consumer insights for more precise targeting.
Next-generation ad solutions across the full funnel
All of the action-packed sports, blockbuster movies, must-see shows, and immersive streaming experiences converge on HAQM through AI-powered technology that’s designed to create more relevant and seamless advertising experiences. Global VP of Advertising Alan Moss closed the evening by emphasizing HAQM’s vision for full-funnel advertising solutions that eliminate the traditional compromises between scale and precision, creativity and performance, and branding and sales.
HAQM Ads has revealed a new AI-powered streaming advertising format and a new expanded suite of interactive ad formats.
“When you work with HAQM, you're not just buying ad space. And you’re not just tapping into the best programming and talent, technology and signals in the world,“ Moss said. ”You’re investing in the future of entertainment, commerce, and technology, and a new way forward for your business. As customers we face millions of choices, every single day. But as advertisers, you don’t have to. The future of advertising is about removing the guesswork with full-funnel solutions.“
During the HAQM Upfront presentation, HAQM Ads announced a new AI-powered streaming advertising format offering, which allows advertisers to reach engaged audiences with contextually relevant pause ads that seamlessly connect brands to the scenes viewers are watching in that moment. The presentation also revealed a new expanded suite of interactive ad formats, including enhanced shoppable ads with real-time HAQM shopping signals, which include pricing, deals, reviews, Prime shipping information, and more to help connect awareness to conversion.
Looking ahead to the future of Streaming TV advertising, HAQM Ads is addressing industry challenges like fragmentation, evolving ad identifiers, and the need for measurable outcomes. To help solve for these customer needs, HAQM Ads has revealed a new HAQM DSP experience that brings together exclusive supply, premium publisher integrations, and advanced signals to drive performance across the entire funnel. HAQM Publisher Cloud is a groundbreaking clean room solution that allows publishers to securely combine their first-party data with HAQM's signals, working in concert with HAQM Marketing Cloud to create more precise and effective advertising campaigns. This interoperability between publisher and advertiser clean rooms is unique in the industry, allowing for enhanced audience targeting while maintaining privacy and security.
In recent months, HAQM Ads has rolled out two AI-driven solutions: Brand+ and Performance+, built on their Ad Relevance foundation. During uncertain times, advertisers need transparent, measurable solutions that help them eliminate waste and drive performance. HAQM Ads leverages first-party signals, expansive supply, and AI-driven ad tech to help advertisers connect, measure, and optimize spend from awareness to conversion.
HAQM Ads has also introduced Complete TV, a comprehensive solution for planning, managing, and measuring streaming TV buys across Prime Video and premium streaming publishers. Available at the start of the broadcast year, Complete TV promises to help buyers deliver spend commitments in full while optimizing audiences across both linear and digital channels.
All of this innovative technology showcases the ethos of what ties together the HAQM universe. Or as Moss phrased it in his closing statements: “You can have it all—in one place, with one partner. That partner is HAQM.”