Amazon Prime Video is preparing to make a major entry into the world of streaming sports events: after getting its hands on some UEFA Champions League matches a few years ago, now Jeff Bezos’ giant is about to strike a deal with the NBA, as reported by The Athletic.
If indeed the partnership were to be made official, it would be a revolution for the world of sports TV rights. The deal being talked about would be for a “significant” number of games, both regular season and Playoffs, and would last as long as 10 years starting with the 2025-26 season.
Amazon’s arrival will not exclude more traditional broadcasters such as ESPN, which is expected to renew its contract while keeping the NBA Finals as an exclusive. Next season will be the last before the expiration of another 10-year deal, signed in 2014 with ESPN and TNT, for an average annual figure that brings $2.6 billion a year into the league’s pockets.
To include a third partner, Amazon precisely, ESPN and TNT will see their number of games scaled back slightly: ESPN is expected to drop from 100 to 80. According to The Athletic, the Thursday games could be the ones available on Prime Video.
Amazon is also reportedly interested in purchasing the global rights to the NBA, which means that even in Italy we could eventually watch the games on the platform. As of today, in our country, live broadcasts are entrusted exclusively to Sky Sport, while globally the NBA League Pass is, of course, available, which would be unchanged.
Milan, Italy. A graduate in Labor Management and Communication for Organizations from Catholic University, I founded BasketUniverso in 2011. Yes, I root for Orlando Magic and do my best not to hide it.
