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Does Amazon buy business data?

By SourceX Editorial · Updated

Short answer

Yes, in a confirmed, specific way: Amazon signed a multi-year licensing deal with the New York Times in May 2025, reported by the Wall Street Journal to be worth at least $20 million to $25 million a year, covering news, NYT Cooking and The Athletic content for Alexa and Amazon's AI model training. Amazon has also reportedly explored launching a broader publisher content marketplace, per TechCrunch in February 2026.

The New York Times deal#

Reuters and the New York Times both confirmed the May 2025 agreement letting Amazon use Times editorial content, NYT Cooking recipes and The Athletic's sports coverage in Alexa and other AI products.

The Wall Street Journal reported the deal's financial terms as at least $20 million to $25 million a year, a figure not disclosed by either company officially.

A possible publisher marketplace#

TechCrunch reported in February 2026 that Amazon was in discussions with publishing executives about a marketplace letting media companies license content directly to AI companies, following Microsoft's similar Publisher Content Marketplace; Amazon did not confirm the plan when asked.

  1. 01Your work records
  2. 02Personal details removed
  3. 03You approve the release
  4. 04Licensed to AI developers
How it works with SourceX: Your work records → Personal details removed → You approve the release → Licensed to AI developers.Illustrative

What this means for a business#

Amazon's only confirmed deal is with a major news organization with decades of archived, clearly owned content; there's no public evidence of Amazon buying from smaller U.S. businesses.

If Amazon or any AI company does build an open marketplace for business content, the same preparation applies: confirm ownership of the material, strip personal and confidential details, and only share a defined, approved set of records under a written agreement.

SourceX and Amazon#

SourceX is not affiliated with Amazon. This page summarizes public reports; it does not mean Amazon buys data through SourceX.

Frequently asked questions

How much is Amazon reportedly paying the New York Times?

The Wall Street Journal reported at least $20 million to $25 million a year, under a multi-year deal announced in May 2025.

What content does the deal cover?

News articles, NYT Cooking content and The Athletic's sports coverage, used in Alexa and for training Amazon's AI models, per Reuters and the New York Times.

Is Amazon planning a publisher marketplace?

TechCrunch reported in February 2026 that Amazon was discussing such a marketplace with publishers, though it had not been officially confirmed.

Sources

Public sources, checked 2026-10-09. SourceX is not affiliated with the organizations named.

  1. Amazon and the New York Times signed an AI content licensing deal in May 2025 reuters.com
  2. Deal covers NYT news, NYT Cooking and The Athletic content for Alexa and AI training nytimes.com
  3. WSJ reported the deal is worth at least $20-25 million a year wsj.com
  4. Amazon was reportedly exploring a publisher content marketplace in 2026 techcrunch.com

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