Amazon Prime Video to Exclusively Air NFL Playoff Game in 2024
Streaming service secures exclusive rights for popular postseason matchup
Amazon Prime Video has secured the exclusive rights to air an NFL playoff game starting in 2024, adding to their growing portfolio of live sports coverage. The announcement comes just days before the highly anticipated Super Bowl matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers.
The Chiefs were already part of history this postseason, as their wild card round game against the Miami Dolphins became the first-ever NFL playoff game to be exclusively featured on a streaming service. NBCUniversal’s Peacock paid a hefty $110 million for the rights to that game, which saw the Chiefs emerge victorious with a 26-7 win.
According to Joe Flint of The Wall Street Journal, the Chiefs-Dolphins matchup drew an impressive audience of 23 million viewers and accounted for a staggering 30 percent of web traffic, making it the most streamed event in United States history.
Amazon’s Expanding Sports Coverage
Streaming service continues to invest in live sports rights
Since 2021, Amazon has been aggressively expanding its sports coverage, including securing the rights to Thursday Night Football for 11 years at a cost of $11 billion. They also paid $100 million for exclusive rights to the first-ever Black Friday game this season, which saw the Miami Dolphins dominate the New York Jets with a 34-13 win.
With their latest acquisition, Amazon is now entering the playoff business. While the specific game to be aired has not been disclosed, it is likely to be a wild card matchup, as rights for the divisional round and conference championship games have already been divided among major networks in the latest round of media rights deals.
Implications for NFL Fans
Fans without Amazon subscriptions face potential blackout of playoff game
While the partnership between Amazon and the NFL presents new opportunities for streaming and convenience, there are concerns about accessibility for fans who do not subscribe to the streaming service. For NFL fans who are not Amazon Prime subscribers, they may be faced with the choice of paying for the service or missing out on watching an important playoff game next year.
This exclusion has led to frustration among fans, who believe that key games should be accessible to all viewers without additional costs. However, the success of the Chiefs-Dolphins matchup suggests that the allure of exclusive streaming rights and the quality of the game itself can still draw in a massive audience, regardless of the platform.
Overall, with the exclusive rights to an NFL playoff game, Amazon Prime Video continues to solidify its position as a major player in the live sports streaming market. Their growing portfolio of sports coverage, including popular events like Thursday Night Football, is sure to attract even more subscribers and reshape the way fans consume sports content in the future.
Analyst comment
Positive news: Amazon Prime Video secures exclusive rights to air an NFL playoff game in 2024, adding to their growing sports coverage portfolio.
Short analysis: With this acquisition, Amazon Prime Video strengthens its position in the live sports streaming market, attracting more subscribers and reshaping how fans consume sports content. Fans without subscriptions face potential blackout, leading to frustration.
