Report: NFL, Amazon reach deal for exclusive playoff game on Prime Video

The NFL and Amazon Prime Video have agreed to a deal that will give the streaming service an exclusive playoff game next season, per The Wall Street Journal.

Amazon was previously offered a playoff game this season but declined to take it. NBCUniversal took the offer instead in a deal valued at least $110 million. Peacock broadcasted the game — the Kansas City Chiefs versus the Miami Dolphins — garnering 23 million viewers and accounting for 30% of web traffic. Kansas City’s 26-7 win over Miami was the most streamed event ever in the United States.

It’s currently unclear how much Amazon is paying to broadcast the game. As opposed to Peacock, which launched in July 2020 and reported 31 million subscribers to end 2023, Amazon has an estimated 180 million in the U.S. alone. The monthly cost ($14.99 a month), however, is much higher than Peacock’s ($5.99).

Amazon currently owns the rights to “Thursday Night Football” as part of an 11-year deal worth $1 billion annually. The streaming service averaged 11.86 million viewers per game during the 2023 season. That marked an increase of +24% over the previous season (vs. 9.58 million), according to a January press release.

NFL expanding its reach by broadcasting games exclusively on streaming platforms

Speaking with the media Monday in Las Vegas, the site of Super Bowl LVIII, Goodell discussed the NFL’s strategy in having games broadcasted on streaming services.

“We have to fish where the fish are, and we have a lot of consumers that are on those platforms. And the Peacock game showed that,” Goodell said. “Amazon showed that over the last two years. … Our fans are on these platforms and our fans want to access them.”

As for the Super Bowl finding its way onto a streaming platform, Goodell said not under his watch.

“Certainly not in my time,” Goodell said. “One of the secrets of our success is that we’re really committed to broadcast television. As I’ve said 90 percent of our games are on broadcast and free over-the-air television. I think it is the reason you’ll see over 200 million people watch this game here in the United States and on the broadest possible platform.”