David Gandler, CEO of FuboTV, in his company’s quarterly report and is entering the world of sports betting.
The National Football League and Amazon are in talks for the streaming service of e-commerce giant Prime Video to broadcast several football games on Thursday nights exclusively, people familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal.
The deal, if closed, could cost the tech giant $ 1 billion a season.
DRAFTKINGS, DISH DEAL SEEN AS BETTING AGAINST FUBOTV AS STREAMER’S STOCK TUMBLES
Amazon has owned the streaming rights to Thursday Night Football since 2017 for an informed rights fee of $ 75 million per season. However, these games were shared with other NFL television broadcast partners. If Amazon and the NFL make this deal, the games agreed on Thursday nights will not be available on traditional television, with the exception of the two teams’ local markets. A similar deal is in place for “Monday Night Football”, which will air on ESPN cable.
Last year, Amazon extended its Thursday night deal and, as part of that deal, secured exclusive national rights to a Saturday game. On December 26, Amazon broadcast the week 16 showdown between the San Francisco 49ers and the Arizona Cardinals. The current agreement to share Thursday’s broadcasts and Saturday’s only exclusive game runs until the 2022 season. The new agreement would go into effect at the conclusion of the current contract.
Fox Corporation, the parent company of Fox Business, acquired the rights to broadcast “Thursday Night Football” from 2018. The current contract also applies to the 2022 season.
| Ticker | Safety | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMZN | AMAZON.COM, INC. | 3,005.00 | -89.53 | -2.89% |
NFL and Amazon officials declined to comment.
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Despite strong reviews for “Thursday Night Football”, the high price made it difficult for NFL television partners in the era of fragmented audiences. But the potential price of $ 1 billion would be easy for Amazon, which last year saw its market value reach $ 1.5 trillion.
| Ticker | Safety | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FOXA | FOX CORP. | 39.33 | +1.38 | + 3.64% |
| VIAC | VIACOMCBS, INC. | 70.91 | +2.19 | + 3.19% |
| CMCSA | COMCAST CORP. | 53.73 | -0.52 | -0.96% |
| DIS | THE WALT DISNEY CO. | 192.19 | -1.64 | -0.85% |
Still, there is a risk for Amazon. The Wall Street Journal reported that the exclusivity on Saturday December with 49ers and Cardinals attracted an average audience of less than five million. According to The Hollywood Reporter, games on CBS, ESPN, Fox, NBC and the league-owned NFL Network – averaged 14.9 million viewers. “Thursday Night Football” on Fox and the NFL Network drew 11.89 million viewers.
Meanwhile, broadcast rights agreements with Fox, Comcast NBC, ViacomCBS and ESPN from the Walt Disney Company may be in place as early as next week, with television networks expected to pay up to double their current fees for broadcast contracts. Sunday and Monday deductibles are likely to last up to 11 years.