When you look at the size and scale of the online behemoth Amazon, it's easy to forget that the company originally focused on selling books. Now they offer everything under the sun, it seems, including livestreamed NFL football games. Amazon is betting big on these games too, reportedly paying over $1 billion a year for exclusive streaming rights.
Want to watch Thursday night football? You're going to need an Amazon Prime account for that, as the games will no longer air on cable channels. Amazon bought the entire Thursday night football lineup for the season, striking an eleven-year deal with the NFL. Football is the most popular sport in the United States and one of the biggest draws on TV, according to CNBC.
Already, Amazon has been reeling in millions of viewers. Their first Thursday night airing, a battle between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Rams, pulled in over 15 million viewers across all platforms. Numbers cooled off with later games, but Prime drove higher engagement in the vital 18 to 49-year-old crowd, with viewership rising by 25 percent.
What's got Amazon so interested in the pigskin? It appears that Amazon mainly wants to bolster Amazon Prime memberships. Not only do Prime Memberships drive revenues, they also encourage people to shop on Amazon and to use devices like Fire Sticks.
Amazon is also making some pretty savvy strategic moves. In 2023, Amazon will air an NFL game on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. This might discourage people from rushing out to pick stuff up on sale at Walmart, Target, and other retail rivals.
Why not simply catch an NFL game at home and order stuff from Amazon?
