• Loading stock data...
Saturday, November 2, 2024
The Best Employers in Sports survey is open through Nov. 6 Learn More

Amazon May Have Proved It Can Stream NBA, Too

  • Tech giant looks to make media rights bid in 2023.
  • Amazon has deals with the WNBA and LeBron James.
Zion Williamson and Pelicans teammates celebrate on court after a big play
Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports

The biggest sports media question in 2023 will be if the NBA will join forces with a tech streaming giant such as Amazon or Apple.

Given its performance in its first exclusive season showing the NFL’s “Thursday Night Football,” Amazon’s NFL host Charissa Thompson “absolutely” believes the tech giant can handle an NBA rights package.

The NBA will be seeking $50 to $75 billion long-term in its next cycle of media rights negotiations. 

The league’s incumbents, Disney’s ESPN and Warner Bros. Discovery’s Turner Sports, both want to retain their rights. Although Warner Bros. Discovery boss David Zaslav set the industry buzzing by publicly warning, “We don’t have to have the NBA.”

When the deals with ESPN and Turner Sports expire following the 2024-25 season, the networks would have paid a combined $24 billion.

During its first season exclusively streaming TNF, Amazon Prime Video has built an All-Star announce team, including game-callers Al Michaels, Kirk Herbstreit, and Kaylee Hartung. Plus, studio analysts Thompson, Tony Gonzalez, Richard Sherman, Ryan Fitzpatrick, and Andrew Whitworth, features reporter Taylor Rooks and news analyst Michael Smith for the pregame, halftime, and postgame shows.

Through its first 13 TNF streams this season, Amazon is averaging 9.67 million viewers, according to Nielsen. TNF on Prime viewers have a median age of 47 years old — eight years younger than the NFL average on broadcast networks.   

“If there’s ever a precedent to support that (Amazon) can do it, all we have to point to is covering the largest sport in our country — and doing it at the high level,” Thompson told Front Office Sports.

“When you’re able to have the individuals that they have in the booth, and behind the scenes, and on our desk with those guys, I think it’s pretty evident at this point Prime Video and Amazon would welcome covering more sports. And would be well-equipped to do so.”

Charissa Thompson handling Amazon's Thursday Night Football coverage with panel of former NFL players 

Charissa Thompson Is ‘MVP’ of Amazon’s First NFL Season

Charissa Thompson talks to FOS about Amazon’s first season of ‘Thursday Night…
December 15, 2022

Thompson knows whereof she speaks. She quarterbacks not one but two national NFL pregame shows: “TNF Tonight” for Amazon on Thursday nights and “Fox NFL Kickoff” for Fox Sports on Sunday mornings.

Jared Stacy, Amazon’s director of global live sports production, calls Thompson the “MVP” of the streamer’s first exclusive season of TNF coverage.

Amazon’s exclusive $1 billion a year to stream the NFL’s TNF through 2033 is the eCommerce giant’s biggest sports deal to date. But the industry disruptor has also built a portfolio of sports rights around the world.

  • The NFL, MLB (New York Yankees), MLS (Seattle Sounders), Overtime Elite in the U.S.
  • Premier League, U.S. Open, ATP, and WTA in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
  • UEFA Champions League in Germany and Italy.
  • Roland Garros in France.
  • Australian swimming globally.
  • New Zealand cricket in India.  

“When you look at the events we’ve done even in the last year — Champions League in Germany and Italy, Djokovic vs. Nadal in France, Premier League in the UK, and TNF in the United States — we feel great about our ability to deliver any event anywhere in the world,” Stacy said.

NBA ‘Fascinated’ By Amazon

The interest between the NBA and Amazon appears to be mutual and growing.

In May 2021, Amazon signed a multi-year deal to stream 16 WNBA games per season.

Hosts of Inside the NBA on TNT

Will TNT Walk Away From The NBA?

Thoughts ahead of the league’s next round of media rights negotiations.
December 10, 2022

Last fall, Amazon followed that up with a deal to stream the NBA’s 2022-2023 season in Brazil.

The NBA, meanwhile, has taken notice of Amazon’s ability to deliver a younger audience for the NFL. As well as its inventive use of alternate streams, such as NBA superstar LeBron James’ version of TNF via his own show, “Uninterrupted The Shop.”

“What Amazon is obviously doing with the NFL fascinates me,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said during an SBJ conference in November. “Just as important to us, is the newfound ways of producing these games, of customizing them, personalizing them for consumers.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Sep 28, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; GOP Presidential candidate Donald Trump waves flanked by former Georgia Bulldogs player Herschel Walker, recording art Kid Rock, professional golfer John Daily, Alabama senators Tommy Tuberville (R) and Katie Britt (R) during the second half of the game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Georgia Bulldogs at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Mission Swing State: College Football’s Political Advertising Battle

Trump, Harris, and the PACs that support them are utilizing the sport.
Fubo-TV

Fubo Reports 9% Subscriber Growth As Venu Sports Trial Looms

The sports-focused streamer grew revenue by 21%.
Adam Schefter

Adam Schefter Uses Same Pirated NFL Clips As Everyone Else

ESPN’s NFL insider posted a video from an illegal stream Thursday night.

Could Amazon Make Black Friday a Legitimate Sports Holiday?

Prime made waves by putting an NFL game on Black Friday. The NBA is on the way.
podcast thumbnail mobile
Front Office Sports Today

First-Ever 12-Team CFP Takes Shape

0:00

Featured Today

The Untapped Revenue ‘Powder Keg’ of Women’s NFL Fandom

There’s a “boatload” of money at stake for brands and the league.
Oct 19, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway (2) shakes hands while entering the locker room after a game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
October 28, 2024

NIL Director Is the Trendy New Job in College Sports. But the Role Is Chaos

Athletic departments nationwide are hiring for what’s become their most important position.
FuboTV signage
opinion
October 26, 2024

Fubo’s Fight Against Streaming Giants Feels Futile

Fubo notched a legal win, but subs and stock still slump.
October 25, 2024

Inside The Wall at L.A. Clippers’ New $2B Home

FOS went inside the “contagious” energy at the L.A. Clippers’ Intuit Dome.

World Series Delivers 7-Year Ratings Record, Marking MLB’s Big Comeback

Viewership of the five-game win by the Dodgers soared by 74% over last year.
October 30, 2024

World Series Game 4 Draws 16.7M Viewers, Up 92% From 2023

The average audience of 16.7 million nearly doubles the comparable figure from last year.
October 31, 2024

Comcast’s Olympic Gold: Paris Games Spark Surge in Peacock Subscribers

Company revenue and Peacock subscriptions rise thanks to a big Olympics boost.
Sponsored

World Series Delivers High-Demand Marquee Matchup

The hype around the World Series matchup drove ticket prices to record levels—but the Dodgers’ dominance quickly quieted the fervor.
October 30, 2024

Controversy, Championship Battles Keep F1 Viewers Tuned In

Lando Norris and Max Verstappen had a controversial encounter again Sunday.
October 30, 2024

NFL TV Ratings Up and Down in October As Election Draws Near

The NFL took an 8% ratings hit around the 2016 presidential cycle.
October 29, 2024

Baseball Wins the Night: World Series Outdraws ‘Monday Night Football’

MLB gains a rare head-to-head viewership win over the NFL.
October 29, 2024

Jets Prime-Time NFL Schedule Rolls On Despite 2–6 Record

The Jets are 1–3 in prime-time appearances so far.