• Loading stock data...
Monday, July 7, 2025

Amazon Wants All The Live Sports

  • Amazon has quickly bought up broadcast rights to major soccer leagues across Europe.
  • The company is flush with cash while local broadcasters are struggling due to the pandemic.
Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports/Design: Alex Brooks

Amazon has a foot in the door with America’s most popular sport, but it’s advanced even further with Europe’s. 

The company has over 200 million Prime subscribers and is using sports streaming as a way to ensure they stick around long past the pandemic.

Amazon is buying up European soccer rights — taking advantage of pandemic-related conditions that weakened local broadcasters’ balance sheets while ballooning its revenue to $108.5 billion in Q1 2021 alone.

  • The Premier League agreed to roll over its $7 billion in broadcast deals to 2025, which includes a 20-game package with Amazon. The company’s 2019 broadcast of league matches coincided with a record number of new Amazon Prime subscriptions in the U.K.
  • Amazon signed a three-year deal to broadcast Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 games for $893.6 million.
  • In December, the company inked a deal to show Champions League games in Italy from 2021-2024 for a reported $96-108 million per year.
  • Spain’s La Liga modeled its broadcasting rights packages after the deal Amazon signed with the Premier League, perhaps in the hopes of luring Bezos & Co. into a deal. 

Everyone who has Amazon Prime — even if primarily for faster shipping — can watch the matches. The online retail giant airs New York Yankees games and French Open matches, too.

Amazon recently secured its first exclusive NFL deal — a 2022-2033 agreement to broadcast “Thursday Night Football” at $1 billion a season — and may pursue a deal to bring in Peyton Manning as an analyst.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Liverpool to Pay Diogo Jota’s $20M Contract to His Widow

Jota had two years remaining on his contract.

Commanders’ $3.8B Stadium Deal in Jeopardy? Mayor Sounds the Alarm

Political tensions rise about delays in stadium funding approval.
exclusive

ESPN, Fox Reluctant to Share Talent With Netflix for Christmas NFL Games

ESPN talents who worked last year’s games include Laura Rutledge and Mina Kimes.

$600M for Browns Stadium Sparks Cleveland Backlash, Possible Lawsuit

The awarding of public funds draws criticism and could bring a lawsuit.

Featured Today

American Celebs Want to Be Sports Owners. Soccer Is Where They Start

As U.S. team prices climb, investors set their sights abroad.
July 5, 2025

Baseball’s Celebrity Row: Behind MLB’s First-Pitch Ritual

Often planned, sometimes spontaneous, the ritual throw is baseball’s celebrity row.
July 4, 2025

3,000 Hot Dogs, $20K in Prizes: Behind the Nathan’s Eating Contest

Nathan’s serves up thousands of hot dogs and $20,000 in prize money.
July 3, 2025

Geoffrey Esper Can’t Catch a Break at Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest

“Hot dogs is not one of my favorite competitions of the year.”

Paramount Settles Trump Suit Ahead of NFL Season, Skydance Merger

The deal likely allows the much larger Skydance merger deal to proceed.
June 24, 2025

Fever vs. Aces Draws 5th-Largest TV Audience of 2025 WNBA Season

ESPN will carry seven more Indiana Fever games this year.
Leo Messi
June 27, 2025

TNT, Club World Cup Ride Messi to Surprisingly Solid Debut Ratings

TNT Sports carries about a third of matches in the U.S.
Sponsored

Hottest Matchups Following NFL Schedule Release

The NFL released the 2025 regular-season schedule, and anticipation is already building in the ticket marketplace with four months to go.
June 23, 2025

NBA Finals Game 7 Is Most-Watched Since 2019, but Series Drops 9%

Game 7 drew 16.35 million viewers, the most-watched NBA game since 2019.
June 19, 2025

Pacers Force Game 7, Could Spark Big Ratings Boost for NBA Finals

Game 7 could boost NBA Finals ratings after a slow start this year.
June 17, 2025

Stanley Cup Final Delivers Drama but Struggles for Eyeballs in U.S.

U.S. viewership fell while Canadian audiences for the event rose slightly.
June 17, 2025

Streaming Tops Linear for First Time, Sports Still Key to TV’s Resilience

Streaming hits another critical milestone in an accelerating media transition.