Amazon DSP: Who Can Use It and What Does It Cost?
Key takeaways
As of November 2026, Amazon DSP is part of Amazon Ads Agent, and its display, video and audio buying runs as DVA+, in an extended closed beta in the US. Brands that do not sell on Amazon can use it. The tech fee is a percent of media cost, and Amazon shows the rate at campaign setup.
Amazon DSP has a new name: what small brands need to know before they plan a budget
Brands planning their US launch often ask us:
"Isn't Amazon DSP only for big advertisers?"
"We don't sell on Amazon yet. Can we still use it?"
"What is the minimum spend?"
The short answer: Amazon DSP is now part of Amazon Ads Agent. Its display, video and audio buying runs as DVA+ campaigns, and as of November 2026 DVA+ is in a closed beta in the US. Brands that do not sell on Amazon are eligible. What you pay depends on media cost plus a tech fee that Amazon shows you at campaign setup.
1. What Amazon DSP is called now
A demand-side platform (DSP) is software that buys digital ads across publishers and ad exchanges automatically, so an advertiser can reach a chosen audience in real time.
On September 29, 2026, at unBoxed 2026, Amazon announced Amazon Ads Agent as the new name of its unified ad platform. The Amazon DSP product page now says that Amazon DSP "has evolved into Amazon Ads Agent."
Inside Ads Agent, display, video and audio buying is a single campaign type called DVA+. DVA stands for Display, Video, and Audio. Amazon describes DVA+ as "a unified campaign type bringing together what was previously created through Amazon DSP, Sponsored Display, and Sponsored TV." Two optimization systems run it: Brand+ for awareness and reach, and Performance+ for consideration and conversion.
People still search for "Amazon DSP," but the name to look for in a US account is DVA+.
2. Who can use Amazon DSP (DVA+) today
Selling on Amazon is not a requirement. The DVA+ page says "No retail presence is required for advertisers who do not sell on Amazon." Amazon's DVA+ launch note lists sellers, vendors and off-Amazon brands with an Amazon Ads Agent account as eligible.
Access has limits, though. Per the same launch note and product page:
- DVA+ is in an extended closed beta in the United States.
- Amazon targets general availability across 35 markets in Q1 2027.
- DVA+ with advanced settings, the manual controls DSP buyers are used to, is available to a limited group of US advertisers.
- During the closed beta, payment is by invoice only. Amazon plans to add credit card payment in Q1 2027.
Before you plan creative, check whether your Ads Agent account has DVA+ access, and whether your finance team can work with invoice billing.
3. Amazon DSP cost: media, tech fee and service model
The DVA+ page says DVA+ uses CPM billing, the cost per 1,000 impressions, with no minimum spend. Amazon's pricing transparency guide lists a tech fee for Amazon DSP: "The tech fee is based on a percent of media cost and disclosed at the time of campaign setup." The Amazon DSP page says the pricing model from Amazon DSP, including self-service and managed-service options, continues within DVA+. Plan with the rate you see at setup.
There are two ways to run campaigns:
- Self-service. You run the campaigns. Amazon's DSP guide says "For self-service customers, there are no management fees, since you'll have full control of your campaigns."
- Managed service. An internal Amazon Ads team runs them. The pricing guide says the managed services fee is "a percent-based fee added to the media cost," and that budget minimums apply. Ask your Amazon Ads contact for the minimum before you build a budget around it.
Plan Amazon DSP cost as media plus a percentage tech fee, and get the actual rate from campaign setup, not from a published price list.
4. Sponsored Ads vs Amazon DSP: which one fits a small brand
Sponsored ads are the other way to advertise on Amazon. We covered how their budgets work in our Black Friday Amazon Ads guide. Amazon's own DSP guide frames the choice by funnel stage: sponsored ads "are best for lower-funnel conversions and simpler campaign management with smaller budgets," while DSP "is ideal for upper-funnel strategies, retargeting, and advertisers who don't sell on Amazon."
| Sponsored ads | DVA+ (includes the former Amazon DSP) | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | Cost per click, no minimum spend | CPM, no minimum spend, plus the DSP tech fee (percent of media cost) |
| Best fit, per Amazon | Lower-funnel sales on Amazon, smaller budgets | Upper-funnel reach, retargeting |
| Need to sell on Amazon | Ads promote sales in the Amazon store | No retail presence required |
| Status, November 2026 | Running in Ads Agent | Extended closed beta, US |
| Source | DSP product page, DSP guide | DVA+ page, launch note |
A simple rule follows. If the goal is sales on Amazon, start with sponsored ads, which have no minimum. If the goal is to reach new people or bring back past viewers, DVA+ is built for that.
For sellers, the groundwork on the store side comes first. Our Amazon Brand Registry guide covers that step.
Sponsored ads turn shoppers into buyers on Amazon. DVA+ is for finding the shoppers in the first place.
5. Where Amazon DSP ads run
The reach is wider than Amazon's own store. Amazon says its DSP "brings together Prime Video, Twitch, Fire TV, and premium third-party publishers including Netflix, Disney, Spotify, and Roku in one buying environment."
Two of those channels are open to non-sellers in their own right. Amazon says advertisers can buy Twitch ads "whether or not they sell products in the Amazon store," and businesses can buy Prime Video ads "whether or not they sell products on Amazon."
For a brand with its own D2C site, this is the part of Amazon advertising that does not depend on an Amazon listing.
6. Running campaigns from outside the US
Amazon's April 2026 note on Ads Agent DSP campaign setup lists 17 countries for creating Amazon DSP campaigns from a media plan in Ads Agent: the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Turkey, the Netherlands, Sweden, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Australia, India and Japan. South Korea is not on that list, although Korean is among the setup languages on the same page.
That list covers where this media-plan setup is offered. It is not a full statement of who may buy. For a company based in Korea, the account terms are a question for Amazon Ads directly.
Four checks before you ask Amazon for DVA+ access
1. Does your Ads Agent account show DVA+, and is it in the US beta?
2. Can your team pay by invoice during the closed beta?
3. Have you seen the tech fee rate at campaign setup, and built it into the budget?
4. Is the goal sales on Amazon (sponsored ads first) or reach beyond Amazon (DVA+)?
Wrap-up
Amazon DSP now lives inside Amazon Ads Agent as DVA+. Brands that do not sell on Amazon are eligible, but as of November 2026 access is a US closed beta with invoice billing, and the tech fee rate appears only at campaign setup.
LinkONE supports Korean brands with Amazon US store setup, from seller account registration and listing optimization to inventory management and Amazon Ads.
In the end, the question for a small brand is not whether it is allowed to use Amazon DSP, but whether upper-funnel reach is the job it needs done right now.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Amazon DSP called now?
Amazon DSP is now part of Amazon Ads Agent, which Amazon announced at unBoxed 2026 on September 29, 2026 (Amazon Ads news). Its display, video and audio campaigns run as DVA+ (DVA+ page).
Can a brand that does not sell on Amazon use Amazon DSP?
Yes. Amazon's DVA+ page says no retail presence is required for advertisers who do not sell on Amazon (DVA+ page). You need an Amazon Ads Agent account, and DVA+ is in an extended closed beta in the US (DVA+ launch note).
How much does Amazon DSP cost?
You pay for media on a CPM basis plus a tech fee, which is a percent of media cost disclosed at campaign setup (pricing transparency guide). Self-service has no management fee. DVA+ has no minimum spend (DVA+ page). For managed service, Amazon says budget minimums apply (pricing transparency guide).
When should a small brand use DSP instead of sponsored ads?
Amazon's DSP guide says sponsored ads are best for lower-funnel conversions with smaller budgets, and DSP is ideal for upper-funnel strategies and retargeting (DSP guide). Sponsored ads are cost per click with no minimum spend (DSP product page).
Is Amazon DSP campaign setup available in South Korea?
South Korea is not among the 17 countries in Amazon's list for creating Amazon DSP campaigns from a media plan in Ads Agent (Amazon Ads note). The list covers that setup feature, not every eligibility rule, so confirm account terms with Amazon Ads.
Sources
- Amazon Ads, Amazon Ads introduces Full-Funnel Campaigns, DVA+, and enhanced chat experience (September 29, 2026)
- Amazon Ads, Display, Video, and Audio (DVA+)
- Amazon Ads, Reach new audiences using DVA+ (September 29, 2026)
- Amazon Ads, Your guide to Amazon Ads pricing transparency
Fees and rules in this post are as of November 2026.
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