FOS PM: Amazon Readies TNF

Amazon’s 2020 “Thursday Night Football” slate kicks off on Oct. 8 with a slew of new features and personnel, and the games will again be free for everyone — globally — on its live streaming platform Twitch.

For the third season, viewers watching on Prime Video will be able to pick between multiple commentary streams. But new this year will be a “Scout’s Feed,” which features former NFL scouts Bucky Brooks and Daniel Jeremiah, along with seasoned sports host Joy Taylor. Former NFL receiver Andrew Hawkins will join broadcaster Cari Champion to call the Twitch livestream.

Also new this year will be original content on Twitch that Prime Video will also produce in conjunction with NFL Films that will air throughout the week leading up to the “TNF” game. Fans will also be able to watch on-demand replays during games on Prime Video using Amazon’s “X-Ray” feature.

Barstool Sports CEO Erika Nardini is joining WWE’s Board of Directors. The move makes Nardini — Barstool’s first female CEO — the third woman currently holding a board position at Vince McMahon’s media and entertainment company.

In January, WWE went through a significant corporate shakeup as co-presidents George Barrios and Michelle Wilson both left the company amid an elongated viewership and stock price decline. The company recently named Nick Khan, CAA’s co-head of television, its new president and chief revenue officer.

Since Nardini became CEO in 2016, Barstool has found itself in controversy ranging from its treatment of female journalists to allegations of racism within the company. Nardini’s efforts to grow the company have been successful, however. In 2019, Barstool Sports generated between $90 million and $100 million in revenue, coming largely from its podcasts, merchandise sales and gambling deals.

The University of Colorado’s deal with betting operator PointsBet is worth over $1.625 million. The deal, believed to be one of first of its kind in major college athletics, was announced in September. 

PointsBet will pay Colorado quarterly, with the amounts increasing each year — in 2021, that will be $305,000. The university will additionally receive $30 per customer referred with a promo code to PointsBet.

On PointsBet’s end of the deal, the company gets advertisements at Colorado sporting events — including at Folsom Field, and on broadcasts. According to the contract, each regular season CU football radio broadcast must include one pregame segment featuring PointsBet, a 10-second “live mention” during the game and three 30-second in-game commercials. Thirty-second advertising spots in the postseason will cost PointsBet an additional $600.