Amazon Prime Video Secures Exclusive NFL Game Broadcasting Rights... Next Season Coverage

Amazon's streaming platform, Prime Video, the world's largest e-commerce company, has secured exclusive rights to broadcast the National Football League (NFL) playoff games. With an annual subscription fee of $139, Prime Video has been aggressively expanding its related content to increase its subscriber base.

On the 10th (local time), The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported, citing industry insiders, that Amazon Prime Video will stream the NFL playoffs for the first time next season.

Securing broadcasting rights for NFL playoff games is an effective way to attract younger fans who do not subscribe to paid streaming platforms. For example, the NFL playoff games held last month were exclusively broadcast through NBCUniversal's (NBCU) streaming service Peacock, drawing a total of 23 million viewers. According to Antenna, a streaming platform subscriber analytics firm, Peacock gained 2.8 million new subscribers over three days leading up to the game. Peacock's broadcast was also the first instance of NFL playoff games being streamed live on a streaming platform in the United States.

NBCU, which profited greatly from this broadcast, attempted to secure the rights for next season's games as well but reportedly lost the bidding war to Amazon.

Some NFL fans have expressed dissatisfaction with having to pay for streaming services to watch playoff games. Previously, games involving NFL teams like the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins were broadcast on regional TV. The NFL league is said to have chosen streaming broadcasts to increase the number of younger fans who prefer streaming over traditional cable TV.

Amazon Prime Video's aggressive expansion into sports content is not new.

Since 2022, Amazon Prime Video has exclusively broadcast NFL games held on Thursday nights, investing $1 billion (approximately 1.33 trillion KRW) annually. It has also acquired a stake in YES Network, which holds broadcasting rights for Major League Baseball (MLB) New York Yankees and National Basketball Association (NBA) Brooklyn Nets games. Additionally, in December last year, Amazon was reported to be pursuing investment in Diamond Sports, which holds broadcasting rights for 40 major U.S. sports teams.