(Reuters) – Amazon has surpassed its target of attracting $1.8 billion in ad spending for its video streaming services next year, The Information reported on Thursday, citing a person with direct knowledge of the company’s ad sales efforts.

Advertisers are negotiating major TV and streaming ad commitments for the next twelve months in the upfront ad market, which recently closed for 2024.

The spending commitments include ads on Prime Video and Amazon’s live sports broadcasts, such as the National Football League’s Thursday Night Football games, the report said.

The e-commerce giant is betting it can keep its ad revenue growth going by investing in streaming TV and capturing a significant chunk of ad budgets, especially as they increasingly shift to streaming video services.

Amazon declined to comment on the report when contacted by Reuters.

The company first started placing ads on its Prime Video offering earlier this year.

In July, Amazon, along with Walt Disney’s ESPN and Comcast-owned NBCUniversal, acquired the rights to broadcast National Basketball Association games in an 11-year deal worth $77 billion.

The NBA adds to Prime Video’s growing roster of live sports offerings, including NFL and NASCAR in 2025.

Amazon missed estimates for ad sales, a closely watched metric, in the second quarter as it steps up its rivalry with Alphabet’s Meta Platform and Google. According to LSEG data, revenue of $12.8 billion was below the average estimate of $13 billion.

(Reporting by Juby Babu in Mexico City; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri)