Amazon Ads is not only officially on the map; it is actively recreating the map of media, entertainment and advertising. That was the verdict this week at the Amazon Ads conference in Austin, Texas. Throughout the conference, Amazon flexed its muscles as a studio entertainment giant – something neither Google nor Meta could boast – and as a native element of the enterprise cloud infrastructure.

Mark your calendar: On Jan. 29, Amazon will unleash what one top advertising executive calls a “tornado” that will “upend” the streaming video landscape. The company will flip a switch and turn on ads for all of its Prime Video viewers. Users will have the option to pay $3 a month to remove the ads, but as the executive quips: “Almost no one will do that, are you kidding me?”

From the opening YouTube presentation touting the power of creators’ ability to drive an intense connection and attention from their followers to Roku promoting all the “unmissable” moments streamed through their devices (original content, sports, news, etc.,), it was clear the pivot from just raw impressions to impressions that are garnering attention was a hot button.

The ad-supported streamer, home to ‘Alex Rider’ and a growing slate of original series and movies, will change its name starting April 27.