The late John Madden used to say that football, family, tradition, and turkey went together perfectly on Thanksgiving Day. Amazon Prime Video is pulling out all the stops to turn the day after Thanksgiving into the newest tradition on the sports calendar.
Prime executives tell me they’re employing a “go big” approach in their second year airing a Black Friday game.
“We’re trying to embrace this as truly a new holiday,” says Spoon Daftary, senior coordinating producer at Prime. “Yes, we’re going to talk about the game. But we’re really wrapping our arms around the idea that this is a new holiday for football. We want to celebrate that.”
It’s not just football; Prime has hoop dreams for Black Friday, too. As part of the company’s 11-year, $20 billion deal to show NBA games starting in the 2025–2026 season, it will also stream an NBA game on Black Friday in 2025—effectively creating an NFL/NBA doubleheader on the year’s biggest shopping day.
I think it’s a brilliant business idea for Prime to target brick-and-mortar rivals like Walmart where they live. The pitch to shoppers practically sells itself: Do you want to engage in mall brawls at your local shopping center? Or shop from your couch while watching live NFL and NBA games?
Clearly, the NFL is on board. Commissioner Roger Goodell couldn’t have given Jeff Bezos’s Amazon a nicer stocking stuffer than the Super Bowl champion Chiefs facing the Raiders on Nov. 29. Patrick Mahomes’s Chiefs have dethroned the Cowboys as America’s Team, TV-wise. The Chiefs have appeared in four of the five most-watched games this season, relative to only one for the Cowboys.
Given the strong average viewership of 14.31 million for Thursday Night Football this season, it’s a safe bet Raiders-Chiefs will draw well more than the 9.61 million viewers who watched last year’s inaugural Black Friday game between the Jets and Dolphins. TNF’s announcing team of Kirk Herbstreit, Al Michaels, and Kaylee Hartung will call the AFC West matchup, with kickoff scheduled for 3 p.m. ET.
Prime has ambitious production plans. The company is constructing an expansive new outdoor set outside Arrowhead Stadium for pre- and post-game studio shows starring Charissa Thompson, retired Chiefs legend Tony Gonzalez, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Richard Sherman, Taylor Rooks, and Albert Breer. During the first hour of coverage, Prime will stage a live, hour-long tailgate with thousands of fans outside the iconic stadium.
Meanwhile, Marshawn Lynch’s traveling ’N Yo’ City show will evaluate products from Amazon trucks. And comedian Nikki Glaser, the breakout star of Netflix’s The Roast of Tom Brady, will appear on the pregame show. Unlike her three previous live appearances during the post-game shows, Glaser will appear in a taped comedy bit during the pregame show.
“Trying something a little different with her. But I feel great about the executions we’ve done so far,” Daftary says.
To lean in to the Day After Thanksgiving concept, there will be live turkeys on the set who will receive nicknames from Gonzalez, according to Daftary. The dueling birds will then predict the winner of the game. “It’s about the fun of the day. We treat this day differently than any other pregame show we produce,” he says.
Look for chef David Chang to explore the local Kansas City food scene while again cooking up a leftover sandwich dubbed the “Wedge Buster.” That sandwich will be presented to the game’s most valuable players during the post-game show, mimicking Madden’s tradition of awarding top players with turkey legs.
The Viewership Experience
Amazon has more than 200 million Prime subscribers worldwide. The annual $139 Prime membership, however, is not required to watch Chiefs-Raiders. Anyone with an Amazon account will be able to stream the game for free. It all sets the table for Prime’s most ambitious attempt yet at shoppable TV.
During the game, football fans will be able to shop deals across product categories like toys, electronics, and apparel. Prime will also offer custom NFL apparel designed by Amazon creators like Brittany Mahomes, Olivia Culpo, Rachel Crosby, Tayshia Adams, and Darcy McQueeny.
Kansas City is famous for its barbecue. Leaning in to that, during the pre- and post-game shows, Prime’s on-air talent will take part in spareribs-eating contests that will unlock special deals on Amazon.com (likely for toy products).
Prime executives also say they aren’t worried about the technical issues that plagued Netflix’s livestream of Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul. Prime is now in its third season of exclusively streaming TNF.
“You’ve watched us for two and half years. We feel extremely grateful to have a fantastic team around us that puts us in position to broadcast the best show we can,” Daftary says.
Some days are inextricably linked to sports: Thanksgiving Day and the NFL; Christmas Day and the NBA; New Year’s Day and college football. This is only Year 2 of the strategy by Prime to turn Black Friday into a “celebration of football, family, food, and shopping.” But if viewership blows away last season’s disappointing number, this unofficial sports holiday could become official.
