When it comes to the second season of “Thursday Night Football” — beginning Thursday with the Minnesota Vikings at the Philadelphia Eagles — Amazon plans to level up how NFL fans follow the league by offering the kind of presentation a traditional linear setting can’t provide.

The NFL games will feature an array of new enhancements for viewers — some powered by artificial intelligence — that represent merely the latest move in the company’s fast-growing sports streaming ambitions. 

Just in the last four months, the company has entered discussions about a potential ESPN equity partnership, signaled an intention to compete for NASCAR rights, acquired a set of pickleball rights, still shows the Premier League domestically, and could even be a significant player in the next round of NBA rights.

But the “TNF” games remain the core of the company’s sports portfolio, and given the unrivaled popularity of the league in the U.S., also serve as the foremost showcase of Amazon’s ability to stream live events at mass scale.

Black Friday Boost?

Amazon averaged an audience of 9.6 million viewers in 2022, per Nielsen — a figure that jumps to 11.3 million when including Amazon’s first-party measurement data. Even though those numbers were down sharply from the prior audience for “TNF” on Fox Sports, there was a silver lining: The median age of 47 for Amazon’s exclusive coverage was eight years younger than the league’s linear average.

After preseason controversy about how Nielsen will count “TNF” audiences, those numbers will also get a sizable boost from the first-ever Black Friday game on Nov. 24 between the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets, a contest that will be in front of the usual paywall and could turn the day after Thanksgiving into another national football holiday. 

“This is a chance to start a new tradition with the league, and is something we’re thinking big about in every possible way,” Jared Stacy, Amazon Prime Video director of global live sports production, told Front Office Sports. 

The loss of star Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers has clouded those aspirations somewhat, but the game is still expected to at least challenge, if not surpass, new audience records for a live streaming event. Amazon is also working to reduce online latency — for years the bane of any live sports streaming — down to 10 seconds or less for “TNF.”

After multiple failed runs, an almost unthinkable dream may be getting new life — the return of the NHL to Atlanta.

In 2011, the Thrashers moved after 12 years in Atlanta and became the Winnipeg Jets. Prior to that, the Flames franchise spent its first eight NHL seasons in Atlanta before moving in 1980 to Calgary, where they have played since.

But now, amid new development in the city, the NHL appears to be interested in trying a third time in Atlanta. NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said he thinks that scenarios that previously derailed pro hockey in the city could be “overcome.”

Earlier this year, rumors of the NHL’s return to Atlanta began popping up after a local developer began planning a multi-billion-dollar mixed-use development project whose centerpiece would be an 18,000-seat, hockey-capable arena.

Daly pointed to rink location as paramount — and highlighted how The Battery was boosting the Atlanta Braves’ overall business success. “They struggled, as I understand it, attendance-wise for years, even though they had a very successful team on the field,” he said. “Their latest stadium is in a perfect location and sells out regularly.”

The NHL says it is always open to new markets and apparently wouldn’t have any problem finding new investors if it chose to expand or current teams wanted to sell. “There are more people who want to own professional hockey teams,” Daly said.

It’s unclear if and when the NHL could look to expand beyond 32 teams. However, the league is dealing with a high-profile arena situation in Phoenix as the Coyotes continue to seek a new venue.

Aaron Rodgers’ season-ending injury could ignite a full-blown labor controversy between the NFL and its players association.

A day after the New York Jets quarterback was confirmed to have torn his left Achilles tendon, union executive director Lloyd Howell publicly called on the league to do away with turf fields.

“The players overwhelmingly prefer [grass], and the data is clear that grass is simply safer than artificial turf,” Howell said. 

“It is an issue that has been near the top of the players’ list during my team visits and one I have raised with the NFL. While we know there is an investment to making this change, there is a bigger cost to everyone in our business if we keep losing our best players to unnecessary injuries.”

Charge Of Hypocrisy

Particularly grating to the union and individual players is that FIFA is demanding grass fields be installed for facilities to host games during the 2026 World Cup — something major NFL facilities such as SoFi Stadium, AT&T Stadium, and MetLife Stadium are actively pursuing.

“It makes no sense that stadiums can flip over to superior grass surfaces when the World Cup comes or soccer clubs come to visit for exhibition games in the summer, but inferior artificial surfaces are acceptable for our own players,” Howell said.

The union and individual players like Rodgers have previously pushed the league to move away from turf without success and have limited power on the issue within the current collective bargaining agreement. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told ESPN on Wednesday that the issue is “complex” and that future league actions will be guided by science.

But as more players go down to turf-related injuries, the calls for reform will only escalate.

“This is worth the investment, and it simply needs to change now,” Howell said.

Manchester United’s latest record-breaking deal is further evidence that the Glazers may have no interest in selling the Premier League club — despite strong protests from its supporters.

American tech giant Qualcomm is taking over Manchester United’s main shirt sponsorship in what is the most lucrative kit deal in the world, according to multiple reports. The company will pay $75 million annually to display its Snapdragon brand. 

TeamViewer has been paying nearly $56 million a year for those rights, which will now end after this season.

Rumors are rampant that the Glazers could sell Man United, but the controversial club owners continue racking up record revenues despite failing to win a Premier League title since 2013. In July, the club extended its deal with Adidas to make its uniforms for a staggering annual fee of $115 million — more than any other English club.

The Glazers haven’t commented publicly about a potential sale in months after pushing back any formal process at the end of last season.

European Conquest

While some U.S. major sports leagues have begun to allow small jersey sponsorship, the deals pale in comparison to the likes of top European soccer pacts. 

The New York Yankees are receiving $25 million per year from their new jersey sponsor, while the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors are getting $20 million annually.

Manchester United’s $75 million more than doubles even the most expensive stadium naming rights deals in the U.S., like the $35 million Crypto.com Arena deal.