MIAMI—Hemisphere Media Group has announced a deal with Amazon’s Prime Video that significantly expands the distribution of its FAST channel WAPA+ by making it available for free on Prime Video.

WAPA+ carries the best-of programming from Puerto Rico’s #1 broadcast network, WAPA-TV.

“Expanding WAPA+ to Prime Video reflects the continued demand for authentic Puerto Rican programming on streaming platforms,” said Alan J. Sokol, president and CEO of Hemisphere Media Group. “WAPA+ is the first FAST channel created to serve Puerto Ricans living in the U.S. mainland with the news, entertainment, and cultural connection they value most from Puerto Rico’s #1 rated TV network. This expansion continues to deepen that connection while extending the reach of our content.”

The addition of WAPA+ to Prime Video is part of Hemisphere’s broader strategy of expanding distribution for culturally relevant Spanish-language FAST content across major connected TV platforms.

WAPA+ delivers a 24/7 lineup of news, entertainment, and lifestyle programming from Puerto Rico, anchored by locally produced content and personalities.

Programming includes NotiCentro América, the first newscast created specifically for Puerto Ricans living in the continental United States, live reality competitions Super Chef Celebrities and ¡Claro que Baila!, as well as entertainment programs, political analysis, sports coverage, reality, movies, comedy, and original productions from WAPA Media.

The NFL’s wild-card playoff round scored hefty viewing numbers for all five games, with Fox leading the weekend with 41 million viewers for the Jan. 11 San Francisco 49ers-Philadelphia Eagles game and Prime Video setting an all-time streaming record for NFL viewing.

Fox also reported 28 million viewers for its coverage of the Jan. 10 Los Angeles Rams-Carolina Panthers game, which peaked at 31 million viewers and was the most-watched Saturday afternoon wild-card playoff game since 2011.

Citing Nielsen’s Big Data + Panel, Amazon’s Prime Vdeo reported that its Jan. 10 coverage of the primetime Green Bay Packers-Chicago Bears game set an all-time NFL streaming record with 31.61 million viewers, shattering the previous record by 4 million, set on Christmas Day with 27.52 million for the Netflix telecast of the Detroit Lions-Minnesota Vikings game.

Packers-Bears saw a 43% year-over-year viewership increase over Prime Video’s 2025 telecast of the Pittsburgh Steelers-Baltimore Ravens wild-card playoff, which was also presented on a Saturday night (Jan. 1, 2025).

The numbers also indicated that the streamer had achieved the concurrent viewers and the highest single-day global viewership ever for Prime Video.

For its part, CBS Sports said the early Sunday AFC Buffalo Bills-Jacksonville Jaguars wild-card game was the most-watched game ever in the early Sunday slot on any network, drawing 32.71 viewers and peaking with 41.15 million at the game's end. That was up 5% from last year.

NBC's Sunday primetime coverage of the New England Patriots beating the Los Angeles Chargers averaged 28.9 million viewers, making it the most-watched Sunday night broadcast of any kind since last February's Super Bowl.

NEW YORK—“Pass the turkey.” “Pass the stuffing.” “Pass the cranberry sauce.” All are common requests of Americans celebrating Thanksgiving Day with family and friends.

This year—like most in recent memory—another familiar plea was surely heard around millions of TVs across the country: “Pass the football!”

Nielsen is out today with its ratings for the week of Nov. 24-30, which includes Nov. 27, Thanksgiving Day, and NFL broadcast coverage put up big viewing numbers.

CBS coverage of the Kansas City Chiefs-Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving game was the most-watched NFL regular-season telecast in league history with 57.23 million viewers, Nielsen said.

Fox’s coverage of the early Green Bay Packers-Detroit Lions game, simulcast on Tubi, garnered 47.7 million viewers, making it Fox’s most-watched regular-season game ever, it said.

NBC’s Thanksgiving Cincinnati Bengals-Baltimore Ravens game, simulcast on Peacock and Telemundo, saw 28.4 million viewers tune in, making it the most-watched Thanksgiving-night NFL game in league history, Nielsen said.

The following day, an average of 16.33 million viewers streamed the Chicago Bears-Philadelphia Eagles game on Prime Video, making it the most-watched Black Friday Football game to date, Nielsen said.

In all, NFL games secured eight of the top 12 slots across networks and distributors, including Fox, NBC, CBS, Prime Video, ABC, ESPN and ESPN2.

College sports also proved to be popular, with Fox’s Ohio State-Michigan game telecast averaging 18.42 million viewers, the biggest college football audience this season, it said.

College hoops broke viewing records on Thanksgiving Day as well. Duke-Arkansas on CBS was the most-watched regular-season college basketball game on any network since the 1992-93, season with 6.8 million viewers.

Michigan-North Carolina was the most-watched college basketball game in Fox history, with 6.5 million viewers, it said.

Overall, college football occupied 12 of the top 25 slots across five different networks, including three games with more than 10 million viewers, Nielsen said.

ESPN coverage of the Minnesota Timberwolves-Oklahoma City Thunder NBA game placed No. 24 in the top 25, and the 2025 National Dog Show on NBC and Peacock averaged 12.8 million viewers to take the No. 11 slot.

The NBA has released encouraging viewing and social media data that the beginnings of its $76 billion deal with NBC/Peacock, Prime Video and ESPN are paying off for its broadcast rights partners.

More than 60 million viewers watched NBA games during the first month of the regular season, the NBA reported, the highest first-month viewing in 15 years if you exclude the 2011-12 season, which opened on Christmas Day.

The NBA also reported record levels of social-media engagement, with more than 30 billion views across social media platforms operated by the league and others.

In addition, sales at NBAStore.com were up more than 20% and subscriptions to out-of-market package NBA League Pass were up 10%. Time spent viewing games on the NBA app was also up 8%.

In a rollout that will further heighten the competition between streaming services and local broadcasters, Prime Video is rolling out location-based interactive video ads in the U.S.

The location-based interactive ads allow advertisers to tailor their national TV commercials with location-specific content, such as local pricing, nearest dealership information, or local agent details.

This feature also allows advertisers to transform a single TV commercial into thousands of variants based on ZIP codes or tens of variations based on states without creating multiple creative assets. Advertisers can customize both messaging and clickthrough URLs for their ads through the Amazon DSP Video template, Amazon reported.

The solution will be particularly important in attracting national ad dollars and national advertisers who invest in TV advertising but struggle to effectively communicate their local value proposition, Amazon said. The solution not only enhances creative efficiency but also delivers a more relevant viewing experience for Prime Video's audience, bridging the gap between national campaigns and local relevance, the company said.

SOUTHPORT, Conn.—Main Street Sports Group’s FanDuel Sports Network has announced ambitious plans to offer free streams of some live local NBA and NHL games on major streaming platforms beginning mid-November. All of the as-yet-unspecified games will also air for free in over-the-air broadcasts by local stations.

Earlier this month, during the Local Strategies sessions co-hosted by NAB Show New York and TVNewsCheck, Main Street Sports Group’s chief revenue officer, Eric Ratchman, said Main Street had reached deals with some station groups and teams to offer the free streams. The company has not, however, released details of the games or the specific station groups.

FanDuel Sports said it would bring select live game productions of its NBA and NHL team partners—also available in-market on an over-the-air (OTA) basis—directly to Pluto TV, Prime Video and Samsung TV Plus, with more platforms and services to be announced. Games will be presented outside the networks’ paywall, which the owner of cable regional sports networks hopes will help drive subscriptions and increase fan interest in the teams.

FanDuel Sports also stressed that the launch of some free-streaming games in November marks the first phase of its broader, multiphase free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) strategy. That strategy is designed to extend reach to younger, digital-first sports fans while fueling direct-to-consumer and linear TV growth and creating a new path for marketers to reach sports viewers through advertising and sponsorship opportunities, the network said.

"Launching this digital game offering is a big step in expanding our national reach and continuing to prioritize the different ways fans can watch their hometown teams," Ratchman said. "By bringing games to free streaming platforms that reach hundreds of millions of viewers, we're making local sports more accessible than ever and proving what our ubiquitous access model can deliver."

FanDuel Sports plans to launch a dedicated 24/7 FAST channel in 2026, which will serve as a national front door to help amplify its growing roster of programming, including “Golic & Golic,” “Countdown Live” and more, it said.

FanDuel Sports Network is a group of RSNs created after Bally Sports, which had been owned by Sinclair, filed for bankruptcy protection and was rebranded. FanDuel Sports Network, which emerged from bankruptcy in early 2025, is owned by Main Street Sports Group, formerly Diamond Sports Group.

BRISTOL, U.K.—The popularity of U.S. content from three major streaming services with foreign viewers has declined over the past five years, while those same viewers have increased their time spent watching non-U.S. produced content, according to new research from global streaming media measurement company Digital i.

The research reveals the share of viewing time devoted to U.S. content in other countries has decreased 7% on Netflix, Disney+ and Prime Video over the past five years.

Between Q1 2020 and Q2 2025, the percentage of combined viewing time spent watching U.S.-made content on these three streaming platforms, as viewed in 19 non-U.S. countries, dropped from 52% to 45%, Digital i said.

Digital i measured the share of viewing time devoted to U.S. and non-U.S. content by streaming audiences in Canada, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Poland, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Australia, South Korea and Japan.

Overall share of viewing time devoted to content produced outside of the U.S. in these countries rose in correlation from 37% in Q1 2020 to an equal 45% in Q2 2025 as audiences have begun to spend more of their viewing time watching non-U.S. programming on these streaming services.

The remainder of viewing time was devoted to co-productions between the U.S. and other countries, with this figure remaining relatively consistent over the period.

Within the United States, the share of viewing time spent watching locally produced content has remained comparatively steady in recent years.

In Q2 2025, U.S. viewers spent 62% of their viewing time watching U.S.-made content and 25% watching non-U.S. content on these services. The remaining 13% was spent viewing co-productions between the U.S. and other countries.

More information is available on the Digital i website.

Amazon Prime Video has added more companies to its Preferred Vendor Services Program.

Video and metadata software-as-a-solution (SaaS) provider Stockholm Stream Media AB has announced it has been selected to join as one of only four global Preferred Technology Vendors (PTV). The company’s Delta platform provides users with tailored delivery, rights management and media asset management (MAM) solutions.

Founded in 2018, Stockholm Stream has enabled implementations for platforms including Apple TV, Comcast and Vimeo, as well as Prime Video. The company has recently focused on developing AI solutions across subtitle automation and quality control.

CEO Patrik Littmann commented: “Being named a Preferred Technology Vendor for Amazon Prime is a significant milestone for Stockholm Stream. This recognition reflects the dedication of our team and the robust capabilities of our Delta platform. It also underscores our commitment to delivering best-in-class solutions that meet the exacting standards of the global streaming industry.”

Named as a Preferred Fulfillment Vendor (PFV) for Amazon Prime, Zoo Digital joins a group of vendors selected to provide Amazon and its partners with “global and regional expertise to support all media types and best-in-class quality.”

Certification enables Zoo to provide streamlined digital packaging and distribution processes for content creators and distributors, ensuring content reaches Amazon’s global customers efficiently. Its ZOOsubs, ZOOdubs and ZOOstudio platforms provide an end-to-end localization solution, while its global network of over 12,000 freelancers ensures content delivery is tailored to local audiences.

Syed Ahmed, head of international business development at ZOO Digital, said: “This partnership underscores our commitment to helping content creators bring their stories to audiences worldwide. Working with Amazon Prime Video as a Preferred Fulfilment Vendor allows us to further support their global expansion with reliable, high-quality localization services.”

Media logistics company Pixlo has also announced its selection as an Amazon Prime PFV. Established in 2008, the company leverages its AI-driven platform, Pixlo IO, to streamline digital content management for streaming providers and content distributors, among others.

Managing media assets from acquisition to delivery, Pixlo aims to enable further efficiencies across Amazon Prime’s content delivery processes, utilizing its experience in metadata management and secure distribution.

Commenting on the announcement, Pixlo CEO, Björn Isakson said: “Being selected as a Preferred Fulfillment Vendor by Amazon Prime is a testament to our team’s dedication and expertise. We are excited to continue supporting the industry with best-in-class fulfillment services.”

This story initially appeared on TV Tech sister brand TVB Europe.

In between helpings of turkey and other Thanksgiving Day fare, viewers will see companies dishing up hefty portions of ads on sports programming, with the national TV ad spend expected to hit $624 million over the four-day holiday weekend, according to new data from Guideline.

New insights from Guideline show sports programming will account for at least 84% of all broadcast dollars over the holiday weekend with NFL games accounting for 69% of all ad spending and 80% of the spending on sports.

“Thanksgiving weekend highlights the unmatched value of sports in video advertising,” Guideline Head of Product Strategy Alberto Leyes said. “With the NFL driving nearly 70% of national TV, advertisers see this holiday as a prime opportunity for massive reach and engagement despite double-digit growth in unit rates. From record NFL audiences to rising demand for college football, sports remain the go-to choice for connecting with viewers at scale.”

Guideline captures actual agency investment from all holding companies and most large independents, representing spend committed by contributing agency partners for yet-to-run inventory.

Ads during the NFL Thanksgiving Day games on Thursday (Nov. 28) have the highest 30-second unit rate at $1.45 million, up 16% year over year.

With the NFL setting a record of 34.1 million viewers for last year’s Thanksgiving games, Guideline reported that sports are once again expected to dominate broadcast ad spending with $570 million in spending from Nov. 28 to Dec. 1.

That accounts for 84% of all broadcast dollars and includes streaming service Prime Video’s Black Friday NFL game. Factoring in sports content on cable during those dates, the figure tallies $624 million.

Guideline also reported that the share of spending on sports programming during the Thursday-Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend is up from 81% in 2023 and up from 73% in 2019, the year prior to the pandemic.

The NFL Thanksgiving Thursday games (on NBC, Fox, CBS) have the highest 30-seond unit rate at $1.45 million, up 16% year over year. NFL Thanksgiving weekend games (NBC, Fox, CBS and Prime Video) cost $576,000 for a 30-second spot, up 11% YoY.

The Guideline data also indicated that college football also sees a boost during the holiday weekend, as 30-second units for college football Saturday games (ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC) cost $133,000, up 12% year over year.

DALLAS—Amazon’s Prime Video remains atop Parks Associates’ annual list of the 10 most-popular U.S. streaming services for the third straight year. Parks bases the chart positions on estimated numbers of subscribers through September 2024 from the firm’s Streaming Video Tracker.

The two streaming leaders maintained their market position from 2003, with Prime Video in the top position above Netflix. Parks Associates said 88% of all households have a streaming service and 42% now use ad-based services, “creating incredible competition for subscription streaming services.”

This year’s top 10 list shows Disney+ taking the third position and pushing Hulu to No. 4. Peacock cracked the top five for the first time, jumping ahead of Max and Paramount+. YouTube Premium held onto its 10th position.

“Tracking the changes at the top of the market over the past five years reveals the extent of rebranding and consolidation shaping this market,” Parks Associates VP, Research Jennifer Kent said. “Showtime, which was in the top 10 back in 2020 and 2021, no longer exists as a standalone SVOD service and is now a premium add-on tier for Paramount+. We expect to see more premium content used to differentiate subscription tiers or create content bundles, giving consumers choice in how to build their packages.”

The chart positions don’t necessarily jibe with budgets, though, with Peacock parent Comcast NBCUniversal spending an estimated $22 billion, followed by Prime Video at $21.5 billion, Netflix at $19.5 billion and Disney at $18.5 billion, according to Filmtake.

NEW YORK—As football season kicked off in September, the return of NFL and college games didn’t just attract new viewers, according to Nielsen’s The Gauge. The monthly snapshot of TV viewing also indicated that sports viewing on streaming platforms continues to rise, and audiences are increasingly embracing the cross-platform distribution of NFL games.

This trend was most clearly indicated by the 12% bump in viewership for Amazon’s Prime Video in September, driven largely by “Thursday Night Football.” That NFL-fueled push led Prime Video to ultimately match its platform-best share of TV at 3.6% (set in September 2023 and tied in October 2023), Nielsen reported.

Peacock also benefited from NFL audiences with its exclusive coverage of Green Bay vs. Philadelphia on Sept. 6. The NFL’s debut in São Paulo, Brazil garnered 2.6 billion viewing minutes, making the game the 11th most streamed program in September.

The NFL’s resurgence was also evident on the broadcast side, as pro football games accounted for 14 of September’s top 15 telecasts, with the top three garnering more than 3 billion viewing minutes each on NBC, CBS and Fox, Nielsen’s The Gauge reported.

Broadcast sports viewing was up nearly 9% compared to August, despite already coming off a 44% increase the previous month due to the surge from the Paris Summer Olympics.

Broadcast gained 0.6 share points to account for 22.6% of overall TV in September. In addition to the boost from NFL programming, broadcast drama viewing received an 11% uptick following seasonal debuts of several scripted series. On the broadcast news side, ABC’s simulcast of the Sept. 10 Harris-Trump presidential debate also gave the category a lift. Some 67.1 million viewers across 17 networks tuned in for the debate, and more than 45 million viewers watched on one of the nine broadcast networks that aired it, Nielsen reported.

Streaming maintained its 41% share of TV viewing in September despite a slight viewership decline from August (-2.2%), in line with seasonal trends. Prime Video exhibited the largest monthly growth among all reported streaming platforms in September (+12%), driven by “Thursday Night Football” and original series “Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” this month’s third-most-watched streaming title with 4.3 billion viewing minutes.

Disney+ was next in line for growth with a 5.2% bump in viewership to notch a platform-best 2.5% share of TV in September (+0.2 pt.). Thos gains were driven in part by the availability of Hulu content on Disney+ for package subscribers, in addition to a 4.2 billion-minute month for ”Bluey“ (No. 4 overall). Netflix retained its 7.9% share of TV and owned September’s best-performing streaming title, original series “The Perfect Couple,” which garnered 5.5 billion viewing minutes. YouTube also maintained its share of TV from August and continued to lead all streaming platforms with 10.6% of TV usage in September.

Streaming has climbed 11% on a year-over-year basis, with most of the gain disproportionately driven by platforms with over 30% year-over-year growth, including Disney+, Peacock and Tubi.

The Roku Channel was the biggest mover of the year: Viewership of the FAST platform has grown 42% compared with last September.

Cable viewing in September accounted for 26.1% of overall TV, down 0.2 share points from August. The loss was in part due to the large volume of sports and news content provided by the Olympics and the four-day Democratic National Convention last month; the cable sports and news genres were down 17.1% and 4%, respectively.

ABC’s Harris-Trump presidential debate provided some support for the category, with coverage netting nearly 22 million viewers across eight airing cable networks, including over 9 million viewers on Fox News Channel. The top cable telecast in September, however, was the Sept. 16 Atlanta Falcons-Philadelphia Eagles “Monday Night Football” game on ESPN, with more than 13 million viewers.

The September measurement month included five weeks, from Aug. 26 through Sept. 29. Nielsen measurement weeks run Monday through Sunday.

Amazon Prime Video has announced that it is acquiring the historic Bray Film Studios in Water Oakley, Berkshire, just 26 miles outside central London. 

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. 

The iconic studio includes five sound stages, 77,400 square feet of workshops, 39,400 square feet of office space, 182,900 square feet of backlot, and 156,000 square feet of parking space.

Bray Film Studio has been the production home for the second season of the hit Prime Video series `The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ since 2022. 

The first Amazon MGM Studios production to be located at the studio post-acquisition will be the second season of the Russo Brothers’ spy series `Citadel’, starring Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, which is scheduled to begin filming in September 2024.

This purchase is in addition to Amazon’s significant presence at the UK’s Shepperton Studios, where it has a long-term contract for the exclusive use of nine new state-of-the-art sound stages, workshops, and office accommodation, totaling approximately 450,000 square feet.

“With Bray as our creative home in the UK, we are committed to deepening our relationships with the UK creative community, which is rich with world-class storytellers and creative talent of all kinds,” said Mike Hopkins, head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios. “The acquisition of a studio with such a storied heritage not only empowers us to produce more film and television in the UK, but also unveils a wealth of opportunities in the local community with respect to jobs and skills training at all levels of the production process.”

“For 70 plus years, Bray Studios has held an important place in the history of British film making”, said Frank Burke, chairman of Bray Film Studios Ltd, the previous owner of the site.  “During our period of ownership, I, together with my family and team have witnessed the rebirth of this iconic facility and we are extremely proud of the part we have been able to play in bringing it to renewed prominence. We are now genuinely excited to be handing the studios over to Amazon, who we believe share our commitment to quality and excellence and are perfectly suited to preserving the character of the studio while enhancing the first-class creative production spaces for generations of filmmakers to come.”

DALLAS—Consumers who subscribe to streaming services are the least likely to cancel Prime Video among all major providers, according to Parks Associates’ Streaming Video Tracker, which found that Prime’s so-called “churn rate” is 8% while streaming service Discovery+ is nearly at 43%. 

Parks recently updated its Streaming Video Tracker, which now tracks churn data for 89 total services, of which 85 are SVOD services. Its most recent churn data is from its quarterly consumer survey of 8,000 internet households.

Prime’s unique position in the streaming universe (a “value-added” service for subscribers of Amazon Prime) is the reason for the low churn rate, according to Eric Sorensen, Director, Streaming Video Tracker, Parks Associates, who adds that streaming king Netflix is helping lower its churn rate by providing more subscription options and content. 

"Churn is part of the standard business model, but companies are working hard to minimize it and keep consumers engaged longer," said "Amazon Prime Video has held the lowest churn rate for the last two years because it is included with Prime; however, Netflix continues to creep closer and reduce churn by adding more tiers of service and syndicated content."

Streaming Video Tracker analyzes market trends and profiles for more than 300 over-the-top video services in the US and Canada. It also estimates subscribers, viewers, and transactional users for these OTT services, including those that do not publicly release customer figures.

NEW YORK—The expansion of live sports on streaming platforms continues with Prime Video and Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) announcing a landmark multiyear rights agreement that will allow Prime Video to stream some of the boxing industry’s most significant events.

As part of the deal, Amazon’s Prime Video will be home to Premier Boxing Champions’ PPV events, championship bouts, behind-the-scenes docuseries, and other content. 

PBC features over 150 active fighters across various weight divisions, including top contenders and current world champions. Since its debut in 2015, PBC has presented some of the the biggest mega-events in the sport of boxing, including 2023 blockbusters David Benavidez vs. Caleb Plant, Gervonta “Tank” Davis vs. Ryan Garcia, Errol Spence vs. Terence Crawford, and Canelo Alvarez vs. Jermell Charlo. 

Under the new deal, Prime Video will distribute PBC’s industry-leading pay-per-view (PPV) events in the U.S, with the first event anticipated for March 2024. 

PBC PPV fights will be available for all viewers to purchase, regardless of Prime membership. Additionally, in the U.S. and select countries, Prime Video will exclusively stream a PBC Championship Boxing series of events, showcasing top matchups among boxing’s current and rising stars. Details on specific cards, dates, and locations will be announced at a later date. 

In addition to the live PBC events, Amazon reported that the deal will help Prime Video continue to grow its original sports content offerings, with behind-the-scenes PBC docuseries, live weigh-ins, as well as on-demand access to previous events, highlights, archival footage, and more.

“We are thrilled to join with Premier Boxing Champions to bring the best boxers in the world to Prime Video, and to give more fans than ever the chance to experience these must-see events,” said Marie Donoghue, vice president, U.S. sports content & partnerships, Amazon. “With live coverage of PBC action throughout the calendar year, Prime Video continues to bring viewers in the U.S. and around the world the best in sports.”

“Premier Boxing Champions is very proud to partner with Prime Video to showcase our world-class boxers and events. With Prime’s incredible reach and unprecedented marketing power, we’re very excited to reach new audiences for our sport as we continue to present the most exciting, competitive and biggest fights in Boxing,” said Bruce Binkow, CEO, Integrated Sports, exclusive agency for PBC.

On one of the biggest shopping days of the year, a new analysis from EDO finds that the inaugural Black Friday NFL game on Amazon’s Prime Video streaming service is set to be a smash hit for advertisers.

Based on Thanksgiving NFL viewership projections and historical NFL ad engagement, the EDO analysis reported that “we estimate that the average ad during the game will deliver over $1.3 million in media value for participating brands.”

EDO defines engagement as the lift in consumer intent behaviors, such as searching for a brand online, in the minutes after an ad airs. These engagement behaviors indicate that a consumer has moved from merely being aware of a brand to actively considering a purchase — and research has consistently linked these behaviors to increased sales and market share, the company said. 

Given that even the most expensive regular-season sports ads cost significantly less than $1 million, it’s likely that advertisers will reap a powerful return on investment from the Black Friday contest between the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins, EDO reported. 

The strength of the ads builds on “the overwhelming popularity of the NFL, the highly engaged audiences we’ve seen during holiday sports programming, and a streaming environment that makes consumers more likely to engage with the brands they see,” the analysis found. 

EDO also noted that its research has found that “holiday sports events are highly effective at generating consumer engagement” and that the games are “far from serving as background noise at family gatherings…Last year, consumers were 12% more likely to engage with brands advertised during live sports on Black Friday than the rest of the day’s programming on a per-person, per-second basis — and 32% more likely to engage with these Black Friday matchups than the rest of last winter’s programming through December. 

EDO also reported that “retail brands that advertised during Thanksgiving week NFL games last year saw a whopping 314% increase in total TV-driven engagements from their NFL advertising the previous week.”

“The streaming environment on Amazon’s Prime Video further amplifies impact for brands,” the company reported. “Because changing apps on TV takes more time and intent than changing channels, consumers are more likely to watch and engage with ads. During the 2022-23 NFL season — Amazon’s first year airing Thursday Night Football — NFL games on Prime Video were 116% more effective at driving consumer engagement than the primetime average.”

NEW YORK—Amazon’s Prime Video is reporting that Prime Video’s 2023 Thursday Night Football opener between the Vikings and Eagles set an all-time record as the most-streamed NFL game in history.

According to Nielsen’s custom Integrated Live Streaming Report, Prime Video averaged 16.6 million viewers (AMA) across all media platforms during the Vikings-Eagles showdown, as the defending NFC Champions notched their second win of the season.

Nielsen’s National TV Ratings (panel only) reported that the game was up +16% in total viewers over the comparable game in 2022 (15.1 million vs. 13.0 million), and ranks as the most-watched TNF game ever on Prime Video.  Among the key demos, the game was up +15% year-over-year among P18-49 (7.6 million vs. 6.6 million), and up +17% among P18-34 (3.5 million vs. 3.0 million) from last season’s TNF Chargers-Chiefs season opener (9/15/22).

The median age of the TNF audience was 47, which is 7 years younger than the NFL average on linear networks through the first week of the season (54).

“We’re so excited to have kicked off our second season of exclusive TNF coverage by setting new all-time audience records. Building on last year’s success, our team worked tirelessly this offseason to raise the bar and enhance the viewing experience even further, so to see this kind of response and turnout from fans is very gratifying,” said Jay Marine, VP, Global Head of Sports, Amazon. “We are thrilled with the continued growth and performance of TNF, the ways in which we are innovating in the space, and the value our sports portfolio provides to Prime members.”

Amazon said that the most-streamed NFL game record is based on device AMA, inclusive of Prime Video, Twitch and NFL+.

Nielsen’s custom Integrated Live Streaming Report combines Amazon’s first party viewing signal aggregated from the millions of connected TV devices streaming TNF with Nielsen’s panel-based TV measurement. Nielsen then includes their out of home (OOH), local station (OTA), and computer/mobile measurement to provide a comprehensive, cross-platform view of the TNF audience. Nielsen's integration of first party viewing signal into its accredited panel measurement is currently undergoing review by the Media Rating Council and is presently not accredited.

Additional Nielsen National TV Ratings highlights include:

• TNF on Prime Video outperformed all other programming on broadcast and cable television Thursday night, among total viewers, P18-49 and P18-34.
• The Sept. 14 game reached a peak audience of 17.0M between 9:15-9:30PM ET.
• For the week beginning Monday, Sept. 11, TNF on Prime Video ranks as No. 1 program of the week among P18-34 across broadcast and cable.
• TNF on Prime Video was the most-watched program of the night across broadcast or cable, out-delivering the No. 2 program by +372% in total viewers (15.1 million vs. 3.2 million).

NEW YORK—Amazon’s Prime Video has signed a multiyear deal with the Carvana Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) Tour, giving Prime Video exclusive global streaming rights to four live PPA Tour events per year, including the 2023-24 PPA World Championship Series. 

Coverage on Prime Video starts Thursday, May 18, with the Acrytech Atlanta Open presented by Vizzy from Life Time in Peachtree Corners, Georgia. 

The Prime Video schedule for PPA events is: 

• May 18-21: Acrytech Atlanta Open presented by Vizzy, Atlanta, 10:00 a.m EDT – 6:00 p.m. EDT (daily)
• August 24-27: Vulcan Kansas City Open, Kansas City, 11:00 a.m. EDT – 7:00 p.m. EDT (daily)
• October 5-8: Guaranteed Rate Championships presented by Thorlo, Las Vegas, 1:00 p.m. EDT – 9:00 p.m. EDT (daily)
• October 12-15: CIBC (USA vs. World) Boca Raton Open, Boca Raton, 10:00 a.m. EDT – 6:00 p.m. EDT (daily)

Coverage of the PPA Tour on Prime Video will feature top pickleball athletes, including the No. 1-ranked men’s doubles team of Ben and Collin Johns, the No. 1-ranked women’s doubles team of Anna Leigh Waters and Anna Bright, the No. 2-ranked men’s doubles team of Riley Newman and Matt Wright, the No. 2-ranked women’s doubles team of Lucy Kovalova and Callie Smith, and the No. 1-ranked mixed doubles team of Ben Johns and Waters, Prime Video reported. 

Amazon has announced that it will provide free access for all fans to the first-ever NFL Black Friday game, streaming exclusively on Prime Video November 24. The move means that viewers who don't have a Prime Video subscription can still watch the game. 

The game will stream exclusively on Prime Video November 24, and is expected to kick off at 3 p.m. EST. The teams will be announced later this year. 

The move highlights the ongoing shift of major sports rights to streaming and some of the challenges subscription streaming services have in reaching larger audiences, given the decline in viewing for Thursday Night Football last year when it exclusively aired on Amazon. 

“We’re excited to expand our relationship with the NFL and build a new holiday tradition for our customers with the first Black Friday NFL game,” said Jay Marine, vice president of Prime Video and global head of Sports. “We’re so very proud of our Thursday Night Football production and all the teams in front of and behind the camera. As families look to spend time together over the holiday weekend, we are excited to provide an opportunity for everyone to enjoy this new day of NFL action.”

The exclusive Black Friday game marks a further extension of Prime Video’s relationship with the NFL, and offers a free sample of the benefits that come with Prime membership, Amazon said.

The service took over as the exclusive home of Thursday Night Football in 2022, and over the course of 15 games, presented the most streamed NFL contests in history, attracted audiences that were eight years younger than NFL audiences on the linear channels, and regularly topped all competing programming across broadcast and cable. Overall, viewing levels where, however down by 41% according to Nielsen. 

Pregame coverage for the Black Friday game will kick off on November 24, live and onsite within the host stadium. Charissa Thompson will host the pregame show alongside Tony Gonzalez, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Richard Sherman, Andrew Whitworth, Taylor Rooks, and Michael Smith. When game coverage commences, Al Michaels, Kirk Herbstreit, and Kaylee Hartung will cover the on-field action.

NEW YORK—As more sports become available on streaming platforms and a growing number of games are only available on streaming platforms, a new study from the Video Advertising Bureau (VAB) provides a cautionary analysis of how streaming exclusivity can impact overall viewing. 

The new VAB report examines the 2022 NFL season when saw Thursday Night Football (TNF) shifted from national TV to streaming as part of a new eleven-year exclusive national distribution deal for Amazon Prime Video. 

The report found that Thursday Night Football audiences were down significantly in 2022 after shifting exclusively to streaming, with average audience and weekly reach declining 37% and 49%, respectively, versus games in 2021 that were available across multiple major video platforms.

"A key implication for marketers is that streaming exclusivity of sports doesn't drive nearly the total audience of TV networks, who utilize their cross-platform access points including broadcast, cable and streaming," said Jason Wiese, senior vice president, director of strategic insights, VAB. "While streaming's in-app audience can have longer tune-in times and skew towards younger adults, a multi-screen approach—encompassing both linear and streaming—typically delivers higher reach, a larger total audience and multicultural demographics in greater numbers."

Some of the report's additional findings—covering audience viewership, demographics and engagement—include: 

• Amazon's streaming exclusivity garnered larger audiences than NFL Network-only games.
• Amazon streaming delivered a higher average 18-to-34 audience in 2022 than the prior year.
• TV networks drive much larger total audiences to their premier night game series.
• NFL games available across broadcast and cable TV networks garner much higher reach.
• A key benefit of in-app streaming TV is longer tune-in time versus other video platforms.
• Streaming viewership is more likely to skew towards younger adults.
• Many more people watch Spanish language game coverage from TV networks. 

The full report is available at https://thevab.com/insight/whats-the-spread-2022.

NEW YORK—A little more than a year after it left the Amazon Prime Channel service, Warner Bros. Discovery and Amazon today announced that HBO Max is once again available on Prime Video Channels in the U.S., allowing Amazon Prime subscribers to sign up for HBO Max’s $15/month streaming service.

Amazon Primes’ Channel provides a one-stop-shop for viewers to subscribe to premium viewing services and offering an easy way for HBO Max to attract new subscribers. At the time it left Amazon Prime Channels in September 2021, then-HBO Max Chief Andy Forssell told Bloomberg that WBD was willing to sacrifice the potential short term loss of 5 million subscribers in favor of cutting out the middleman, in this case, Amazon Prime, which it sees as one of its major competitors. 

Although the HBO Max app remained available on Amazon’s Fire TV and the streamer did offer some incentives to attract customers at the time of its withdrawal, it was not enough to stem the tide of disappointing revenues and subscriber numbers that followed. 

Even though it boasts some of television’s deepest and most awarded premium TV content, the service has not lived up to its full potential. In response to recent disappointing quarters, the company has announced that its combined HBO Max
Discovery + will be launched in the spring of 2023 as well as an ad-supported FAST service, which WBD said will also be available via Amazon Prime Channels.  

Although WBD CEO David Zaslav—who replaced Kilar when Warner Bros. merged with Discovery earlier this year—has said he wants to focus more on its traditional linear service, the company says it wants to increase the availability of HBO Max in advance of next spring's launch as well as the ever-more important data that comes with it.  

“Warner Bros. Discovery is committed to making HBO Max available to as broad an audience as possible while also advancing our data-driven approach to understanding our customers and best serving their viewing interests,” said WBD Chief Revenue and Strategy Officer Bruce Campbell.

A new survey of NFL fans finds broad support for the NFL Sunday Ticket being offered by a major streaming service, with the largest number of fans hoping that either YouTube or Amazon will win the bidding war, according to a new survey of NFL fans by The Streamable. 

The Streamable discovered that nearly half of NFL fans definitely will or are likely to subscribe to NFL Sunday Ticket if it is offered by a major streaming provider. This means Sunday Ticket’s winning bidder can potentially win big, especially if the price is right, the researchers said. 

The Streamable’s survey of 5,018 NFL fans found that 1,527 of these fans surveyed expressed a preference among the four major bidders: ESPN+, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, and YouTube.

Nearly two-thirds of NFL fans said they are most likely to subscribe to Sunday Ticket if it lands on one of two platforms: YouTube (35% of fans) or Amazon Prime Video (29% of fans), the researchers reported. 

But fans also had misgivings about Apple TV+, which has been often cited as the frontrunner to win the bid. The survey found that more than twice as many fans prefer YouTube over Apple TV+ (122% more fans) and 80% more prefer Amazon Prime Video.

Amazon Prime Video had the fewest fans say they would be least likely to subscribe to Sunday Ticket on it (20% of fans), 32% fewer than Apple TV+, the report said. 

ESPN+ lagged behind YouTube and Amazon Prime Video as the most preferred service, but still beat out Apple TV+ in both the service fans would be most likely (20% of fans) and least likely (25% of fans) to subscribe to Sunday Ticket on, The Streamable reported. 

More than a third of NFL fans prefer YouTube (35% of fans), making it the most preferred service of the current bidders.

In comparison to the other bidders, YouTube was selected as the service fans were most likely to subscribe to Sunday Ticket on by: 23% more fans than the runner-up, Amazon Prime Video; 73% more than the third-place ESPN+; and 122% more than the bottom-ranked Apple TV+.

The runner-up, Amazon Prime Video had more than a quarter of fans choose it as the service they would be most likely to subscribe to Sunday Ticket on. It also beat out the 3rd and 4th ranked services with 40% more fans than ESPN+ and 80% more fans than Apple TV+. 

In comparison to Amazon Prime Video, 50% more fans chose Apple TV+ as their least preferred service; 25% more fans chose ESPN+ as their least preferred service; and 20% more fans chose YouTube as their least preferred service, the researchers said 

Overall, The Streamable concluded that the increased accessibility of NFL Sunday Ticket on a streaming service could prove to be a major score for the winning bidder. 

But not all streaming services are created equal in that regard. While Apple TV+ may be in the best position to win NFL Sunday Ticket rights, fans’ reluctance to use the service could be a major hurdle, the researchers reported. 

“Few households are willing to pay for more than four streaming subscriptions,” the report said. “Those who don’t already have Apple TV+ might not want to pay for another service, especially since the Sunday Ticket package will be a premium price on top of the regular monthly fee. Although Apple TV+ is the last place fans may want to win Sunday Ticket, it highlights just how valuable winning this bid could be for the up-and-coming streaming service as it has the potential to drive new subscribers to their base plan. In the process, Apple TV+ has the opportunity to showcase its platform and content, working to make the streaming service a “default” option that users continue to use in the future.”

The full report is available here. 

LONDON—Amazon’s Prime Video has announced that it has invested more than £1 billion ($1.25 billion) in the U.K. on TV programming, movies, and live sport since 2018.

The announcement, which was made as Prime Video announced new UK Originals at its U.K. Showcase event, highlights how the major streaming companies are spending heavily on programming as they expand their international offerings with content designed to appeal to local and regional audiences. 

Netflix, for example, spends about $1 billion a year in the U.K.

The Amazon investments in content includes spending on UK Amazon Original series like “Clarkson’s Farm”; licensed series like “Soho Theatre Live” and investment in movies like “Paddington 2”; co-productions on flagship British series like “A Very English Scandal”; as well as investment in live sport.

The £1 billion does not include spending on series and movies announced or in production but not yet launched in the UK, such as Season Two of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.” This figure also does not include infrastructure investment such Prime Video’s long-term lease at Shepperton Studios.

“It was important to bring people together at Prime Video Presents to not only showcase our brilliant upcoming shows and movies, but to demonstrate how committed we are to the U.K. in the long term,” explained Chris Bird, managing director Prime Video U.K.. “We’ve spent a long time building a service that offers customers a variety of ways to access the TV shows and movies they love–either included as part of their subscription, as an add-on channel or being able to rent or buy at a low price. We have invested more than £1 billion on TV series, movies, and live sport since 2018. But it’s just as important that we’re investing in the U.K.’s world-leading production and creative industries, with a growing number of U.K. Originals; through a £10 million commitment to training and skills schemes; and by taking a long-term lease at Shepperton Studios.”

Prime Video also announced the creation of a new fund designed to support British women's tennis. Prime Video will work with the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) to help girls and young women overcome barriers to play, with a focus on three key areas: coaching, equipment, and environment. The fund was generated from the broadcast share of last year’s U.S. Open final. Further details will follow later in 2022.

“When we committed to reinvesting the fees generated from the US Open final, it was important for us to take the time to fully understand the existing barriers that girls and young women face when playing tennis. We need to ensure that we are helping to foster the right environment in which girls can feel empowered to play and learn the sport,” said Alex Green, managing director Live Sport, Prime Video Europe. “Our work with the LTA has helped us take huge strides in this area and this fund will directly tackle these barriers later this year.”

More details on the new originals announced at the event are available here. 

DALLAS—New data from Parks Associates' Video Services Dashboard reveals that as of Q3 2021, Amazon Prime Video's subscriber penetration rate was at 45% of US internet households. 

Parks released the data as Amazon and other streamers continue to raise fees. 

Amazon announced in February that the annual fee for Prime Video would increase from $119 to $139 and on April 6 increased prices for its music service. 

"Amazon's Prime pricing rise, the fourth in its history, comes barely a month after Netflix raised its fees, while Hulu raised its prices last year," said Eric Sorensen, senior contributing analyst, Parks Associates. "Amazon also debuted its `Lord of the Rings' trailer during the Super Bowl this year, so the firm obviously hopes the value they are bringing in content will offset any consumer reluctance to pay higher prices. With inflation and the cost of content on the rise, we will likely see more providers start to slowly raise their subscription prices, trying to find that balance between revenue growth and consumer value."

Parks Associates estimates that in the first quarter of 2021, 77.3 million US households were members of Amazon Prime and that around 71% of them watched Prime Video. 

The researchers also noted that Amazon Prime Video is one of the four foundations of the consumer streaming stack, along with Netflix, Disney+, and Hulu. 

Amazon Prime Video is one of several benefits of an Amazon membership, but Amazon, like its competitors in the OTT space, is investing in original content offerings to keep its subscribers engaged, to encourage new subscribers, and to lure in cord cutters and service hoppers, the researchers noted. 

Many OTT services aired Super Bowl ads this year, promoting not just one title but the range of their content library, to remind viewers of the total value of each subscription.

"These price increases by Amazon have been fully vetted out as part of their long-term strategy to generate more revenue from subscribers over time," Sorensen said. "Supply chain and increasing shipping expenses are being passed down to customers, but it is doubtful that Prime members will object to a twenty-dollar-a-year membership rise, the first in four years."

NEW YORK—Marquee TV, a specialty streaming service for arts and culture, has launched in the U.S. Amazon’s Prime Video Channels. 

“By joining Prime Video Channels, Marquee TV is making it easier and more affordable than ever to experience the best in arts and culture, from the comfort of your couch,” remarked Marquee TV co-founder and chief executive Simon Walker. “Marquee TV’s mission is to democratize access to the performing arts and its sheer scale makes Prime Video Channels a perfect partner,” 

Launched in 2018, Marquee TV is a major performing arts streaming service and the only streamer to offer premium, multi-genre content from the world’s leading companies, including Royal Shakespeare Company, Teatro alla Scala, the London Symphony Orchestra, New York City Ballet and more. 

ADDISON, Texas—Sports programming has long been the glue that has cemented pay TV subscribers to traditional MVPDs but new Parks Associates research is predicting that the big $1 billion a year NFL deal inked with Amazon Prime Video will increase the service’s subscribers and push its penetration above current level of 47% of all broadband homes. 

Parks Associates estimates that 77.3 million US households are Amazon Prime members and that roughly 71% watch Prime Video, totaling nearly 55 million households in Q1 2021.

“In its first all-streaming package, the NFL inked a ten-year agreement with Amazon Prime Video for the streaming rights to fifteen Thursday Night Football games and one pre-season game per year in the US, beginning in 2022,” said Steve Nason, research director, Parks Associates. “By offering live games, streaming services give the significant market of NFL fans a reason to subscribe. As OTT becomes an integral part of its strategy, the NFL is working to secure viewers, and profits, for the next decade, and the Amazon partnership represents an outstanding and unprecedented opportunity to set the stage for success.”

The prediction, which comes from Parks’ “OTT Video Market Tracker” of 10,000 US broadband households, also finds 55% of pay-TV households consider live sports important in their decision to keep their service. Additionally, more than two-thirds of online pay-TV subscribers and 43% of traditional pay-TV subscribers who cancelled their pay-TV service during COVID-19 were likely to re-subscribe following the return of live sports.

Parks also reported that Amazon’s merger with film studio MGM for $8.45 billion would also boost subscriptions and usage of the Prime Video Service. 

LONDON—As the streaming wars rage on, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Hulu have enacted new strategies designed to entice older consumers (35+) by producing programming in genres that are of more interest to them—most notably, drama, documentary and crime & thrillers.

According to a new study from Ampere Analysis, younger SVOD subscribers are reaching a saturation point. However, 55% of consumers who don’t engage with VOD in a typical day are aged 45-64. Rather, many are keeping with their linear TV habits. A reported 50% of medium linear TV viewers (watching two to four hours per day) are over 45 years old, while 57% in the same age group are classified as high linear viewers (more than four hours a day).

This is inspiring the larger push in producing programs that are of more interest to those older consumers.

Documentaries, drama and crime & thrillers are among the most popular for consumers over the age of 35. And now, these genres are in the top five of commissioned projects by VOD players. For example, in March, Netflix ordered more documentary titles than any other genre, with more than half of those described as true crime.

Keeping up this investment into factual and crime & thriller content is one of the keys to persuade older viewers to make the switch to streaming, per Ampere. They should also work to expand their sports-related content (something Amazon Prime Video is already pushing with the NFL) and, on a global scale, more local language programming is needed in markets like France, Germany and Japan.

“The fastest growth in uptake of Video on Demand viewing is now in the 35-44-year-old age bracket,” said Minal Modha, principal analyst, consumer research lead at Ampere. “Nearly twice as many in this age group are now high VOD viewers compared to two years ago. The laser-like focus on matching commissioning strategies with the favorite genres of the older demographics in question is evident, but to more fully compete with linear TV players, local language content is going to be key, as will some sports content, be it live or ancillary.”

For more information, visit www.ampereanalysis.com.  

NEW YORK—The rights package for the NFL’s “Thursday Night Football” is getting an early delivery to Amazon Prime Video, as the streaming service will become the exclusive home for Thursday night games starting with the 2022 season.

Amazon Prime Video had been granted the rights to “Thursday Night Football” as part of the NFL’s new 10-year broadcast rights deal it signed in March. That deal will officially begin with the 2023 NFL season. This latest announcement from the NFL will bring “Thursday Night Football” to Amazon Prime Video a year earlier than expected.

Fox has been the broadcast home of “Thursday Night Football” since 2018. The 2021 NFL season will be the final one where the broadcaster carries the games—Amazon Prime Video simultaneously streams these broadcasts.

Fox, as per the new rights agreement, will still be the home of the NFC package of Sunday afternoon games.

Even though Amazon Prime Video is the exclusive rights holder for “Thursday Night Football,” the NFL has said that the games will be carried free over-the-air in the broadcast markets for the teams participating in the weekly matchup.

The NFL was the first major U.S. sports league to announce this kind of exclusive deal with a digital platform, but it is not the only one. The NHL is going to have some games on both ESPN+ and HBO Max as a result of its new broadcast deals with ESPN and Turner Sports, respectively. MLB also broadcasts a handful of games on YouTube TV throughout its season. 

SEATTLE—Amazon Prime subscriptions has surpassed the 200 million mark, according to a recent shareholders letter. This letter is the last from Jeff Bezos before he steps down as CEO of Amazon.

Amazon Prime is the membership platform that gives users access to special deals through the Amazon website and access to the Amazon Prime Video streaming service.

Reports had Amazon Prime subscription numbers at around 150 million prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. So in the last year they have added 50 million subscribers. That is an increased growth rate, according to Yahoo Finance reporter Daniel Howley, who said it took Amazon two years to get from 100 million subscribers to 150 million.

In the ongoing streaming wars, the 200 million subscription figure puts Amazon Prime just behind Netflix, which reported it passed the 200 million subscription mark in January. Meanwhile, Disney+ has experienced major growth in its year-plus of existence, hitting 100 million subscribers in March.

Globally, there are now a reported 1 billion streaming subscriptions. 

NEW YORK—The New York Yankees have found a streaming home on Amazon Prime Video, as YES Network has announced a deal that will put 21 Yankees games on the streaming platform for no additional cost to subscribers throughout the Yankees' home-team footprint. The first Yankees game available on Amazon Prime will be an April 18 game against the Tampa Bay Rays.

The home-team footprint covers New York state, Connecticut, northeast Pennsylvania and north and central New Jersey. The games will be simulcasts of games produced by YES Network. The games will be available on any Amazon Prime Video compatible devices.

As part of the streams, Amazon will provide its X-Ray technology, which allows fans streaming on Android, iOS mobile and FireTV to access live in-game stats, teams and player details and real-time play-by-play information while they watch. Prime Video will also offer a 15-minute pre-game show ahead of every stream, featuring YES Network on-air talent.

Here is the full schedule of Yankees games that will be available on Prime Video for the 2021 MLB season:

• April 18 vs. Tampa Bay, 1 p.m. ET 
• April 23 at Cleveland, 7 p.m. ET 
• April 27 at Baltimore, 6:30 p.m. ET 
• May 14 at Baltimore, 7 p.m. ET 
• May 21 vs. Chicago White Sox, 7 p.m. ET 
• May 29 at Detroit, 4 p.m. ET 
• May 30 at Detroit, 1 p.m. ET 
• June 12 at Philadelphia, 4 p.m. ET 
• June 20 vs. Oakland, 1 p.m. ET 
• July 2 vs. New York Mets, 7 p.m. ET 
• July 11 at Houston, 2 p.m. ET 
• July 23 at Boston, 7 p.m. ET 
• July 27 at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m. ET 
• July 30 at Miami, 7 p.m. ET 
• Aug. 15 at Chicago White Sox, 2 p.m. ET 
• Aug. 17 vs. Boston, 7 p.m. ET 
• Aug. 22 vs. Minnesota, TBD 
• Aug. 28 at Oakland, 4 p.m. ET 
• Sept. 17 vs. Cleveland, 7 p.m. ET 
• Sept. 24 at Boston, 7 p.m. ET 
• Sept. 29 at Toronto, 7 p.m ET 

This is Amazon Prime Video’s latest entry into sports. The streaming platform recently secured exclusive rights to the NFL’s “Thursday Night Football” games. 

SEATTLE—Amazon Prime Video is set for a NFL-focused Christmas week, announcing a slew of original programming and its own broadcast teams for a pair of NFL games that will be available over its Prime Video and Twitch streaming platforms.

Prime Video and Twitch will broadcast both the Minnesota Vikings vs. New Orleans Saints game on Friday, Dec. 25, and the San Francisco 49ers vs. Arizona Cardinals game on Saturday, Dec. 26.

While Fox Sports and its crew of Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews and Kristina Pink are serving as the default broadcast for the Vikings-Saints game, Prime Video will offer alternate audio feeds featuring Hannah Storm and Andrea Kramer or Bucky Brooks, Daniel Jeremiah and Joy Taylor. Prime members will be able to switch audio feeds through settings on their device and by selecting their broadcast of choice.

The 49ers-Cardinals game, which was previously announced as a Prime Video exclusive except for the teams’ local markets, will be called by Andrew Catalon, James Lofton and Sherree Burruss.

Cari Champion, Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson and Von Miller are also going to be announcing a live stream of the Vikings-Saints game on Twitch, while Champion, Andrew Hawkins and Chris Long will handle the Twitch stream of the 49ers-Cardinals.

Prime Video’s broadcasts of the NFL games will also include special features like NextGen Stats and on-demand replays from X-Ray.

These games and special broadcasts are part of a week-long slate of programming that Amazon Prime Video is calling “NFL Holiday Blitz.” Programming will consist of original content airing across Prime Video, Twitch and social media starting Monday, Dec. 21, and running through the 49ers-Cardinals games on Dec. 26.

LONDON—It’s becoming increasingly difficult to stream all the content you want with only one or two streaming services. The licensing of studio content to third-party platforms (i.e. Netflix) has pulled back as new services like Disney+ and HBO Max debut from major studios, leading households to add more streaming services if they want to have access to some of the content they previously had, as well as popular new titles.

This is according to a new report from Ampere Analysis on the U.S. and European subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) markets. Ampere finds that the average U.S. streaming household now subscribes to four different SVODs.

Over a 12 month period (Q3 2019-Q3 2020), the number of U.S. SVOD contracts shot up from 169 million to 308 million, impacted in large part by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns. In that time, new services made inroads—Disney+ added 40 million U.S. subscribers, while other new streamers Peacock and HBO Max brought in a combined 45 million.

Per Ampere’s findings, the typical U.S. household now has access to 90,000 hours of content, roughly equal to 10 years of continuous playback.

But there’s a give and take to that number. The focus on direct-to-consumer content from major studios is drying up the content the likes of Netflix and Amazon can license for their own services, which is causing their libraries to shrink. Amazon, which has the largest catalog in the U.S., has lost 6,000 hours of content since Q3 2019. Hulu, meanwhile, has lost 12,000 hours since Q3 2018.

“Consumers will have more access to high-quality content than ever before as new and existing services compete to produce more original content,” said Alexios Dimitropoulos, research manager at Ampere. “However, as studios continue with their direct-to-consumer strategy, the golden age of access to cheap content is coming to a close.”

Additional findings from the Ampere report show that households with young children are more likely to have more SVOD services. A U.S. family with elementary-age children has an average of five streaming services. Those with Disney+ also are more likely to have more SVOD services, but ones with smaller content catalogs, like ESPN+, which can be bundled with Disney+.

For more information, visit www.ampereanalysis.com. 

NEW YORK & BRISTOL, Conn.—The 2020 NFL season is getting ready to enter its most exciting time, and there are some new plans for how fans will be able to watch these important games.

First, the NFL released an update to its Week 16 schedule, announcing that three games will be played on Saturday, Dec. 26. The first two games, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. the Detroit Lions and the Miami Dolphins vs. the Las Vegas Raiders, will take broadcast exclusively on the NFL Network. The third game, the San Francisco 49ers vs. the Arizona Cardinals, will stream exclusively on Amazon Prime Video and Twitch.

This is the first game this season that Amazon Prime Video has had exclusively; while the weekly Thursday Night Football games are available on Amazon Prime Video, they are also normally broadcast on Fox. 

All of these games will be available through all NFL digital properties, the teams’ mobile properties and Yahoo Sports mobile. All of the team’s local stations will also carry the games.

The other announcement of new NFL broadcast strategies came from ESPN, which announced it will use its MegaCast production for its coverage of the NFL Wildcard game in January, providing a multichannel experience. This will include, for the first time, the teenage-targeted Freeform network.

ESPN and ABC will simulcast the traditional telecast; ESPN 2 and Freeform will produce their own viewing experiences, including separate commentators and format, which will be announced in the coming weeks. ESPN Deportes will air the Spanish-language offering.

In addition, ESPN announced that ABC will simulcast two Monday Night Football contests in December—the Buffalo Bills vs. the 49ers on Dec. 7 and the Bills vs. the New England Patriots on Dec. 28.

SEATTLE—Amazon Prime Video is ready to kickoff its fourth season of broadcasting the NFL’s “Thursday Night Football” game, with some new additions to its broadcast presentation.

Debuting for the Oct. 8 game between the Chicago Bears and the Tom Brady-led Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Prime Video’s presentation of TNF is giving fans more control to access stats and replays, as well as how they want to listen to the broadcast.

Prime’s TNF coverage includes X-Ray, which offers real-time access to live stats and key insights. New to X-Ray this season is an interactive in-game on-demand replay experience, which enables fans to re-watch plays from throughout the game in real-time, providing more information on players involved in the play, additional NextGen statistics, as well as trivia. This replay feature is immediately available on all Fire TV, Android and iOS devices, and will be available on web browsers later in the season.

Viewers will also have the choice of how—or more precisely, who—they listen to the game as well. Prime Video is producing multiple announcer options for TNF in addition to the default Fox broadcast featuring Joe Buck and Troy Aikman. Other options include Hannah Storm and Andrea Kramer; a “Scout’s Feed” with former NFL scouts Bucky Brooks and Daniel Jeremiah with sports podcast, radio and TV host Joy Taylor; and the Fox Deportes Spanish-language broadcast for Prime Video members in the U.S. and Mexico.

In addition to these new features for the actual broadcast, Prime Video has announced new content to go along with its TNF coverage, including the second season of the “NFL Next” analysis show and multiple new shows that will be available exclusively on the streaming platform Twitch.

“We know these are unusual times, and have developed a wall-to-wall lineup of exclusive features and original content from across Amazon that prioritizes real-time data and insights, provides expert analysis and gives fanatic and casual football fans alike access to more games, more talent and more options than ever before,” said Marie Donoghue, vice president of Global Sports Video at Amazon.

The Oct. 8 broadcast on the Chicago Bears vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be available on Prime Video and Twitch, as well as on traditional Fox stations.

ARLINGTON, Va.—PBS Distribution has announced that its PBS Masterpiece streaming channel is now available for Canadian viewers through Amazon Prime Video Channels. PBS Masterpiece includes the latest episodes of British dramas and award-winning series.

With the launch of the PBS Masterpiece channel, Canadian viewers will have access to programs that include “Sanditon,” “Endeavour,” “Home Fries,” “Inspector Lewis,” “Poldark” and “Victoria.” The channel also provides titles from the Walter Presents library, featuring shows from all over the world, subtitled in English.

The PBS Masterpiece streaming channel has been available in the U.S. since 2017.

The subscription rate for PBS Masterpiece in Canada will be CDN $6.99/month, plus applicable taxes with an Amazon Prime membership.

UPDATED 6/24, 4:33 p.m.: According to TVT's sister publication Next|TV, Amazon is downplaying the Protocol report, saying that the job postings emphasizing live and linear programming experience only relate to teams focused on local broadcast offerings already within Amazon Prime Video's portfolio, not any new expansion.

Original story below.

Amazon’s Prime Video could be looking to distinguish itself from its big competitors like Netflix and Disney+ with the addition of live TV programming, according to a report from Protocol.

Protocol says that Amazon has posted several job listings that refer to the building of a “next gen linear catalog system to provide best-in-class Linear TV experiences to Prime Video customers.” An industry insider also reportedly told Protocol that Amazon has been “actively pursuing” deals to license live and linear programming.

Amazon currently offers live sports in the form of its deal with the NFL for Thursday Night Football games, but Protocol details that this new offering would add things like news, music, additional sports and scheduled movies and TV shows.

For more information, read the full story from Protocol. 

SEATTLE—Amazon Prime will continue to be the streaming home of the NFL’s Thursday Night Football games, as the two sides have reached a multi-year agreement extending their partnership that began in 2017. In addition, the deal adds an exclusive NFL game for Amazon Prime.

Amazon Prime Video and Twitch will stream the 11 Thursday Night Football games that are traditionally broadcast on Fox. The digital stream on Prime Video and Twitch offers interactive features like X-Ray and NextGen stats powered by AWS. Also, viewers can choose to watch either the Fox broadcast or the Fox Deportes Spanish-language coverage, as well as other alternative audio options exclusive to Prime Video, Amazon says.

The NFL and Amazon said that they will continue to collaborate on additional NFL content and enhanced viewing experiences for Thursday Night Football.

Prime Video will also get an exclusive regular season game as part of this new deal. The game, which will be streamed on Prime Video and Twitch, will take place on a Saturday in the second half of the 2020 regular season. The game will be available for free over-the-air in the participating teams’ home markets.

Concerns around coronavirus have raised questions on how the 2020 NFL regular season may be impacted, but as of now the NFL is making plans to play a traditional 17-week regular season and is expected to release its regular season schedule in May. 

NEW YORK—New York Yankees fans will have the chance to live stream 21 games of the 2020 MLB season via Amazon Prime Video thanks to a new partnership the streaming service has established with the team and YES Network.

The live streams will be simulcasts of games produced by YES Network. However, Prime Video will provide Amazon exclusive technology for the live streams, including X-Ray technology that enables fans streaming on Android, iOS mobile and Fire TV to access live in-game stats, team and player details and real-time play-by-play information.

“We understand that fans are consuming content in a variety of different ways, and we believe our unique partnership with Amazon represents an exciting development in the realm of live sports,” said Hal Steinbrenner, CEO, Yankee Global Enterprises.

Prime members in New York state, Connecticut, northeast Pennsylvania and north and central New Jersey will have access to the games through Prime Video, at no additional cost. 

The first Yankee that will be livestreamed on Amazon Prime Video will be on April 17 against the Cincinnati Reds.

Here is the full schedule of games for 2020:

•  April 17 - Cincinnati, 7:05 p.m. 
•  April 21 - at Detroit, 6:40 p.m. 
•  April 25 - Cleveland, 1:05 p.m. 
•  May 8 - Boston, 7:05 p.m. 
•  May 15 - at Houston, 8:10 p.m. 
•  May 22 - Seattle, 7:05 p.m. 
•  May 23 - Seattle, 1:05 p.m. 
•  May 27 - Minnesota, 7:05 p.m. 
•  June 21 - at Minnesota, 2:10 p.m. 
•  June 24 - Baltimore, 7:05 p.m. 
•  June 30 - at Baltimore, 7:05 p.m. 
•  July 22 - Los Angeles (AL), 7:05 p.m. 
•  July 24 - Boston, 7:05 p.m. 
•  July 29 - at New York (NL), 7:10 p.m. 
•  Aug. 10 - at Kansas City, 8:05 p.m. 
•  Aug. 21 - Toronto, 7:05 p.m. 
•  Aug. 28 - at Cleveland, 7:10 p.m. 
•  Sept. 10 - Boston, 7:05 p.m. 
•  Sept. 20 - Toronto, 1:07 p.m. 
•  Sept. 23 - Houston, 7:05 p.m. 
•  Sept. 25 - Tampa Bay, 7:05 p.m. 

SEATTLE—Heading into a new decade, Amazon announced that its Prime subscription service, which includes access to its Amazon Prime Video platform, has surpassed the milestone of 150 million subscribers around the world.

Those numbers come from Amazon’s 2019 fourth quarter report, during which it said that more people joined Prime than ever before. It also touted that Prime members watched double the hours of original movies and TV shows on Prime Video in Q4 2019 than in 2018.

Other details revealed in Amazno’s Q4 report include Fire TV now has more than 40 million active users worldwide. During CES 2020, Amazon also announced a new edition of Fire TV with new tools, features and services that assist with integrating Fire TV into specific products, including, for the first time, automobiles. Fire TV Edition Smart TVs also expanded in India and added more content available to customers, including Disney+ and Apple TV+.

The company also highlighted its Prime Video content, which received eight Golden Globe Award nominations in January 2020, with “Fleabag” winning two. It also debuted a number of new original series and movies—“The Expanse,” “The Report”—as well as featuring popular returning ones—“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “Jack Ryan” and “The Man in the High Castle.”

For more information on Amazon’s Q4, visit the company’s website.

November 15, 2019, UK, London:Arqiva, the international satellite and media services provider, has been selected by the international television company A+E Networks EMEA to provide on-demand content for the channel’s Amazon Prime on demand service in Germany and UK.

A+E Networks® EMEA, has been an Arqiva customer for over a decade, with the existing partnership spanning playout and connectivity across Africa and the Middle East, UK DTH satellite capacity and on-premise VoD processing services across EMEA (including the UK). As part of the new contract, Arqiva will manage the content processing, packaging and delivery of A+E Networks EMEA existing archive content in both UK and Germany, from where it is currently stored on Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) and Amazon Simple Storage Service Glacier, to Amazon Prime.

One of A+E Networks EMEA’s key requirements was for the solution to be able to process all VoD requests as close to the cloud-based archive as possible in order to minimise content movement and therefore avoid costly cloud egress into on-premise data centres. Based on its latest hybrid on-premise/cloud offering, the solution implemented by Arqiva is the first to feature a completely cloud-contained journey, where content is taken from the online archive, processed packaged and delivered to Amazon Prime. This not only ensures significant cost-savings but transcoding in the cloud using AWS Elemental MediaConvert also enables Arqiva to process more simultaneous jobs at a far quicker pace.

Another primary factor in A+E Network EMEA’s decision to select Arqiva’s fully managed solution was its ability to integrate the company’s existing Identity and Access Management resources, ensuring the security of the platform whilst allowing A+E to retain full control of its content access and operation capabilities.

Matt Westrup, VP Technology and Operations at A+E Networks EMEA, said:“In a very dynamic and competitive media environment the ability to quickly and seamlessly deliver an even broader range of A+E Networks EMEA’s premium content to our Amazon Prime audience is a real strategic advantage. A solution like this means we can effortlessly build on our broadcast heritage in a viable way.”

Alex Pannell, Commercial Director Video Channels at Arqiva, said:“This deal marks a really important milestone for Arqiva. A+E Networks Germany is the first customer to use our new cloud VoD solution and its feedback on both the platform and onboarding process has been fantastic. We’ve been working really hard to extend our broadcast products onto cloud infrastructure and have built up an extensive set of skills and experience building on AWS. We see the fact that a major multi-channel broadcaster has adopted the cloud for its content archive as clear proof this was the right strategy to pursue for the future.”

About Arqiva

Arqiva is a leading UK communications infrastructure and media services provider dedicated to connecting people wherever they are through the delivery of TV, radio, mobile and machine to machine communications.

We are an independent provider of telecom towers, with circa 8,000 active sites across Great Britain, and are also the only supplier of national terrestrial television and radio broadcasting services in the UK. Our advanced networks support the exponential growth of connected devices and the ever-increasing demand for data from smartphones to tablets, connected TVs to smart meters.

Customers include major UK and international broadcasters such as the BBC, ITV, Sky Plc., Turner Broadcasting, the independent radio groups, major telco providers – including the UK's four mobile network operators – and energy and water companies.

For more information, news and insights from Arqiva, please visit the website at: www.arqiva.com

About A+E Networks EMEA

A+E Networks EMEA is a leading global media network reaching 74m homes in more than 100 countries across UK, Europe, Africa and Middle East. Our portfolio of popular, high performing and creative brands - HISTORY®, Crime+Investigation®, Lifetime®, HISTORY2®, UK free to air BLAZE®, COSMO in Spain and dedicated VOD brands on key platforms HISTORY Play and Crime+Investigation Play - have entertained and inspired audiences for over 20 years; telling the stories that need to be told. We complement our award-winning factual and entertainment local commissions and global hit factual and drama series with innovative talent-led exclusive digital content and top-rated podcasts. We partner with 366 major operators broadcasting throughout UK, Africa, CEE, German Speaking Markets, Iberia and Italy. With offices in London, Johannesburg, Warsaw, Madrid, Munich and Rome.

NEW YORK—When 2019 comes to a close, Netflix will still be the most popular OTT streaming service in the U.S., but it isn’t all sunshine and roses according to a new report from eMarketer. Netflix will have 158.8 million viewers of the 182.5 million people using OTT services in 2019 (87%), and yet its share of the market has declined as other services, most notably Hulu and Amazon Prime Video, have made inroads.

In 2014, Netflix had a 90% share of the streaming market. Now, even as its subscriber base is expected to grow from 158.8 million this year to 177.5 million by 2023, its share of the total market is expected to continue to decrease to a projected 86.3% in 2023.

Hulu is one of the streamers taking the biggest bite out of Netflix’s share. Estimates from eMarketer expect Hulu to reach 75.8 million viewers in 2019, 41.5% of the subscription OTT market and a 17.5% growth in viewers year-over-year with 2018—though that is down from the growth Hulu say in 2018, when it shot up 49.6%.

Amazon Prime Video is slated to remain the second most-popular service behind Netflix, with 96.5 million subscribers (52.9% market share). OTT subscribers across all of the services account for 55.3% of the U.S. population, says eMarketer.

“The market for streaming video has been driven by an explosion in high-end original content and low subscription costs relative to traditional pay TV,” said Eric Haggstrom, eMarketer forecasting analysis. “A strong customer appetite for new shows and movies has driven viewer growth for services like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video, as well as the broader market.”

That appetite will continue to be satiated with the launches of new streaming services from Disney (which also owns Hulu), Apple and NBC Universal, which will all start to earn their own shares of the market. Haggstrom concludes that the biggest challenge to Netflix may come from Disney.

“While there is no true ‘Netflix killer’ on the market, Disney’s upcoming bundle with Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ probably comes closest,” he said. “Netflix’s answer has been to stick to what made it the market leader—outspending the competition on both licensed and original content, offering customers a competitive price.”

For more information, the full report is available here.

MENLO PARK, Calif.—Amazon Prime viewers can now watch their favorite content in their own private, virtual reality screening room, as Oculus has announced that it is now able to provide its users access to Prime Video VR.

Prime members in the U.S. and U.K. that own a Oculus Quest, Oculus Go and Gear VR set can watch Amazon original programming like “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan,” “Cold War” and the entire Prime Video programming catelogue through the Prime Video VR app. In addition, 10 360-degree videos have been selected and are available immediately, with new VR content expected to be added on a regular basis.

The Prime Video VR app can be downloaded through the Oculus store on any of the compatible Oculus devices. When downloaded, users can sign into their Prime Video accounts and searching for titles by using their voice.

Non Prime members can access the Prime Video VR app through their Oculus devices, but they are not able to access specific VR content.

More information is available at amazon.com/PrimeVideoVR.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.—Google announced today that YouTube has returned to Amazon Fire TV devices and that Amazon Prime is now available on Google’s Chromecast and Android TV devices. Google had removed the YouTube app from Fire TV in late December 2017 over competitive disputes.

Although YouTube could previously be accessed over Fire TV’s browser, it was a clunky workaround for Fire TV users and didn’t provide full functionality. Now, the YouTube app is supported on Fire TV Stick (2nd Gen), Fire TV Stick 4K, Fire TV Cube, Fire TV Stick Basic Edition and Toshiba, Insignia, Element and Westinghouse Fire TV Edition smart TVs.

Google says additional device support will roll out in the coming months, and YouTube TV and YouTube Kids will launch later this year. YouTube is now available on more than 1 billion living room devices, from smart TVs to gaming consoles and streaming media sticks, according to Strategy Analytics.

Google also announced that its Chromecast (along with Chromecast-enable devices) will now carry Amazon Prime Video and is also expanding access to Prime on more Android TV devices. Subscribers will need the latest Prime Video app and Android 5.0 or higher or iOS 10.1 or higher on their phone or tablet to receive the update.

The two companies announced an agreement that ended their dispute over their respective apps earlier this year.

Amazon announced in May that Fire TV now has more than 34 million users.