The numbers
$56.2 billion — Amazon’s 2024 ad revenue in net sales.
$17.3 billion — The amount Amazon made from net sales of its advertising services during the fourth quarter of 2024, a 18% year-over-year increase.
$69 billion — Amazon’s run rate for its advertising business.
$638 billion — Overall net sales in 2024, a 11% increase from 2023’s $574.8 billion.
13.2 million— The full-season average audience of Thursday Night Football streamed games, according to Nielsen. This year was Amazon’s third year broadcasting the NFL’s TNF games.
The watercooler talk
In terms of advertising, 2024 was the first year that Amazon’s ad revenue topped $50 billion. The ecommerce giant made $56.2 billion last year, up from $46.9 billion in 2023.
During the earnings call, CEO Andy Jassy told investors that Amazon’s advertising growth is equivalent to a $69 billion run rate—a metric that estimates this year’s revenue based on results so far. The $69 billion run rate is up significantly from a $29 billion run rate four years ago, Jassy said.
Amazon’s advertising business also continued to grow faster than the company’s overall growth. Amazon’s ad business grew 18% year-over-year compared to a 11% year-over-year growth from overall net sales.
Amazon had a big holiday season. Amazon said that its Black Friday and Cyber Monday deal event in 2024 was its largest deal event for its independent sellers.
Amazon also ranked as the lowest-priced retailer in the U.S. for the eighth year in a row, according to data from Publicis Groupe-owned Profitero. Profitero’s findings show that Amazon’s prices averaged 14% less than other retailers.
And in terms of Amazon’s video ambitions, MGM Studios’ holiday movie Red One generated 50 million worldwide viewers within the first four days of its release. (Red One was produced by Seven Bucks Productions, a studio co-founded by 2024 Beacon Award honoree Dany Garcia).
2024 also marked the third year of Amazon’s rights to stream the NFL’s Thursday Night Football games. The full season audience averaged 13.2 million viewers, according to Nielsen, a 11% year-over-year increase. The recent Wild Card playoff game between the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers averaged 24.7 million viewers.
