The 2025 HAQM Canada Upfront showcases new shoppable ad formats and major sports partnerships

This afternoon, senior executives from HAQM Ads and Prime Video took to the stage alongside global stars and sports celebrities at the HAQM Upfront presentation in Toronto to highlight how HAQM is transforming advertising for its customers.

Alongside a star-studded lineup of superstars across sports and entertainment, HAQM showcased the scale of the opportunity for advertisers across its extensive entertainment portfolio, as well as a variety of new ways for brands to connect with audiences through new multi-sponsorships, First Impression Takeovers, and more. The HAQM Canada Upfront included appearances from Nathan Mitchell (The Boys), Taylor Kitsch and Tom Hopper (Terminal List: Dark Wolf), and superstars across the NBA and PWHL, including Toronto Raptors' RJ Barrett.

"We are thrilled to introduce this expansive portfolio of new shows, movies, and live sports to millions of viewers across Canada,” said Tamir Bar-Haim, Vice President of HAQM Ads. “These aren't merely entertainment options—they represent opportunities for brands to forge meaningful connections with viewers during their most engaged moments, while leveraging our advanced ad tech and trillions of signals to deliver measurable outcomes throughout the customer journey.”

To help advertisers bridge the gap between high-quality content and commerce moments, HAQM Ads unveiled a suite of new ad formats that leverage digital interactivity to enhance the streaming experience and help brands build effective full-funnel campaigns.

These new solutions include interactive video ads—allowing viewers to seamlessly engage with a brand by adding the advertised item directly to their HAQM cart with a simple click of their remote—and interactive pause ads—enabling viewers to discover and engage with brands when they pause their show or movie.

According to research conducted by HAQM in the U.S.,¹ advertisers running both interactive and non-interactive video ads for their HAQM product listings found interactive ads to be more effective in boosting engagement rates across the customer shopping journey. Interactive ads drove 10x more product page views and conversions than non-interactive ad formats.

"As marketing nerds, we're always excited about new ad units and opportunities,” said Edan Dreman, VP of Marketing at Pet Valu. “When I consider innovations like shoppable carousel ads or interactive pause ads, I see unique ways to engage customers. Our team thrives on a testing mindset, and we pride ourselves on being first to market, constantly identifying emerging opportunities before our competitors in the category."

During the presentation, leaders from Prime Video unveiled an exciting lineup of upcoming TV series and films, with several celebrities making special appearances.

“We're thrilled to unveil this exciting slate of Canadian series and films that truly captures the country's diverse creative spirit,” said Mark Shopiro, Head of Prime Video, Canada. “These Prime Video productions represent the rich tapestry of Canadian experiences—from the hockey rinks of the NHL to the punk rock scene of Montreal to the trailer parks of rural Alberta—and tell unique stories that will resonate with Canadians. Combined with our sports offering, Prime Video is offering Canadian viewers an unparalleled entertainment experience."

Brent Hayes, Head of Originals in Canada for HAQM MGM Studios, provided a first look at the slate of new programming coming to Prime Video, while Shaun Alperin, Prime Video’s Head of Content Strategy, Canada, showcased the global titles, including the upcoming John Candy documentary from Ryan Reynolds and Colin Hanks. Shaun highlighted that 72% of people watching Prime Video with ads in Canada watch HAQM Originals content each month.²

Prime Video's lineup is exploding with hockey stars, dating scammers, punk rockers, and beer-drinking RV salvagers. From NHL locker rooms to karaoke showdowns, these seven new HAQM Originals offer everything from celebrity competitions to documentary thrillers. Customers can expect binge-worthy content to hit their screens through 2026. Highlights from the announcements today include:

FACEOFF: Inside the NHL Season 2: NHL superstars like Sidney Crosby, William Nylander, Marc-André Fleury, and the Tkachuk brothers reveal their on-ice glory and off-ice lives in this unfiltered docuseries returning this fall.

ROMCON: Who The F**k is Jason Porter?: A shocking two-part documentary where one woman's perfect romance unravels into a criminal investigation of a master manipulator.

Simple Plan: The Kids in the Crowd: Punk rock nostalgia hits Prime Video as Montreal's Simple Plan chronicles their journey from ‘90s formation to global stardom.

Karaoké Club: Celebrities battle it out in wild karaoke challenges where some get booted and new faces keep the competition fresh.

LOL: Qui Rira Le Dernier? Season 4: Ten Canadian comedy stars fight to keep straight faces in this laugh-suppression competition hosted by Patrick Huard.

Vitrerie Joyal: Martin Matte stars in this ‘90s-set comedy-drama inspired by his father's glass company, currently filming in Montreal.

Trailer Trash: Alberta's viral RV-salvaging brothers turn beer-drinking and "dart"-smoking into business gold in this unscripted comedy series.

Prime Monday Night Hockey made fans in every city it traveled to with the best in on-ice action from the NHL and new innovations bringing fans closer to their favorite teams. Time for hockey fans to lace up their skates again because Prime Monday Night Hockey and NHL Coast to Coast will be returning to Prime Video for the 2025–26 NHL season.

“What we're seeing is a fundamental shift in how people engage with sports content,” said Uri Gorodzinsky, Managing Director, HAQM Ads Canada. “I see it in my own home—my son and I regularly sit down together for Prime Monday Night Hockey. It's more than just watching the game—it's about generations connecting through hockey in a whole new way. And the numbers back this up: our Prime Monday Night Hockey viewers are on average 11 years younger than previous NHL broadcast.³ We're bringing in a new generation of fans while maintaining that timeless Canadian tradition of families watching hockey together.”

The NHL isn’t the only sports league where Prime Video is changing the game. Prime Video is the exclusive home for tier-one sports around the world including Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) games on Tuesday nights, and HAQM will be welcoming the NBA to the broadcast lineup in Canada for the 2026–27 season.

From October through June, Thursday nights on Prime Video will showcase premium live sports—Prime Monday Night Hockey and NHL Coast to Coast during hockey season, transitioning seamlessly to NBA action, starting in the 2026–27 season.

“We believe sports entertainment should reflect all of its fans,” said Chantal Rossi Badia, Head of International Video Specialists, HAQM Ads. “As a major broadcaster of women’s sports in Canada, Prime Video is proud to be at the forefront of elevating women’s sports to their rightful place in the spotlight.”

Through partnerships with the WNBA and PWHL, HAQM is delivering premium viewing experiences that showcase elite women's athletics, responding to growing audience demand for diverse sports content.

“The numbers tell an incredible story—viewership of women's sports on Prime Video has grown by 219%⁴ over the past year,” said Rossi Badia. “Through our partnerships with the WNBA and PWHL, we’re creating premium viewing experiences that match the elite level of competition. We are seeing sold-out arenas and undeniable fandom for women’s sports leagues and HAQM is proud to bring fans front-row seats via Prime Video.”

During her presentation, Rossi Badia gave an example of how brands are creating meaningful connections with passionate sports fans. When Hyundai sought to connect with NHL fans across Canada, they decided to work with Prime Video ads to sponsor the docuseries FACEOFF: Inside the NHL on Prime Video. To extend this authentic connection beyond the docuseries, Hyundai amplified their presence through strategic Fire TV takeovers, reaching hockey fans where they access their favorite content. The results were impressive: 2.66 million impressions, 14 million unique viewers reached, and 94% video completion rate—demonstrating the power of strategic sports sponsorships.

During the Upfront presentation, leaders showcased new ways for advertisers to engage with audiences across premium entertainment. With multi-sponsorships, brands can reach audiences across collections of content grouped by genre or key calendar moments. Prime Video sponsorships are already delivering powerful results for brands. Take Cuisinart's recent sponsorship of Red One—not only did they align with Prime Video’s most successful HAQM MGM Studio movie premiere, reaching over 50 million viewers globally in just four days, but they also saw a 22% lift in awareness and a 70% higher purchase rate when combining Prime Video sponsorship with their other HAQM Ads campaigns.⁵

“This demonstrates the unique power of HAQM Ads full-funnel solutions working together—where brands can seamlessly connect streaming, shopping, and entertainment experiences to drive enhanced results across multiple touchpoints in the customer journey,” said Rossi Badia.

In May, HAQM Ads also launched First Impression Takeovers—making a brand’s ad the first one a customer sees during their viewing session, transforming their initial impression into a lasting one and driving strong awareness and recall.

HAQM has created a world where content and commerce converge: from building awareness through Prime Video, driving consideration with Twitch streamers and interactive experiences, enabling action through shoppable ads and display advertising, and reengaging through HAQM Marketing Cloud insights.

“We're making it easier than ever for brands to activate across all these touchpoints through direct integrations with premium publishers, an expanded suite of programmatic capabilities, and the ability to layer custom first-party audiences with HAQM's trillions of shopping, streaming, and browsing signals in HAQM DSP,” Bar-Haim said. “At HAQM Ads, we’re responding to a universal challenge—how to create meaningful connections with the limited time people have, all powered by industry-leading technology that drives real results.”

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.

All of this innovative technology underpins the HAQM canvas. Or as Bar-Haim phrased it as he signed off: “We offer you a connected universe where you can tell bigger stories. Stories that travel seamlessly across touchpoints, where every impression is measured and every interaction matters. It’s about simplification at scale. One connected universe. One solution. That universe is HAQM.”