Amazon is in talks to acquire the rights of the National Football League’s (NFL) “Sunday Ticket” package and is seen as the frontrunner by others involved in talks with the league, CNBC reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
The NFL is expected to ask for US$2 billion to US$2.5 billion per year for the package and wants to wrap up discussions before the season ends in February, two of the people said. “Sunday Ticket” has been owned by DirecTV for the past 27 years. Talks are progressing with interested parties, suggesting the league is getting closer to choosing a new provider, said the people.
The “Sunday Ticket” service allows NFL fans to watch a wide variety of football games outside of their local markets. The move would help boost Amazon’s live sports offerings on its streaming service.
FL Commissioner Roger Goodell told CNBC on Wednesday, September 8, the out-of-market Sunday game package “maybe will be more attractive on a digital platform” as streaming platforms continue to add subscribers at the expense of traditional pay-television. Goodell also suggested to CNBC that the league is looking for one strategic partner to acquire not only “Sunday Ticket” rights but to also invest in NFL Network, which airs NFL content all year, and NFL RedZone, which shows live footage of game action when teams are close to scoring touchdowns. The NFL currently owns both NFL Network and NFL RedZone.
Earlier in May, NFL stated it had moved up the date for Amazon’s Prime video to exclusively stream Thursday Night Football, beginning with the 2022 season.
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