Amazon Takes Lead In Talks for NFL Media Stake

Amazon has emerged as the frontrunner to buy a minority stake in the NFL’s media properties, sources tell Front Office Sports.

The tech giant is in talks with the country’s richest sports league about acquiring up to a 49% stake in NFL Network, RedZone and NFL.com, said sources. The $10 billion league hired Goldman Sachs Group in June to negotiate a deal to sell a chunk of NFL Media.

But the deal with Amazon isn’t done and a last-minute snag could push a final agreement back by several months, warned one source.

If successful, the agreement would mark a large jump in the growing business relationship between Amazon and the NFL.

• Starting in 2022, Amazon Prime Video will become the first streaming service to control an exclusive package of NFL games, paying $1 billion a year for the rights to “Thursday Night  Football.”
• Amazon’s foray into NFL broadcast rights began in 2017 when it became the streaming home of “Thursday Night Football,” but those games were also broadcast on Fox and NFL Network.
• The league’s Next Gen Stats have relied on Amazon Web Services since 2015.

The NFL and Amazon both declined to comment.

With annual revenue of $386 billion, Amazon is also bidding for the “Sunday Ticket” package against Disney, ViacomCBS, Apple and others, said sources. Bidding for Sunday Ticket could reach $2 billion to $3 billion a year.