Reports: Amazon to pay record $150 million for NFL playoff game next season
Feb 21, 2024, 2:40 PM | Updated: Feb 22, 2024, 11:06 am
LAS VEGAS, NV - DECEMBER 14: Reacher star Alan Ritchson visits the Prime Video Thursday Night Football broadcast set to celebrate the premiere of Season 2 after the Las Vegas Raiders defeated the Los Angeles Chargers at Allegiant Stadium on December 14, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
(Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
Update: Reports Thursday indicate that Amazon’s fee is actually closer to $150 million, rather than the $120 million reported a day prior. The news came from CNBC, via Chris Novak of AwfulAnnouncing.com.
In the ever-changing world of streaming, Amazon continues to make significant strides to claim the NFL landscape.
Reports emerged Wednesday that Amazon Prime Video will pay the NFL a record $120 million for the exclusive rights to an NFL playoff game after the 2024 regular season. The news was first reported The Wall Street Journal’s Joe Flint, later verified by Front Office Sports’ Mike McCarthy.
The NFL and Amazon have not confirmed the news at this time.
BREAKING: Amazon Prime Video will pay a record $120 million to stream its first NFL playoff game after the 2024 season, sources tell @FOS.
Last year, @NFLonPrime passed on Wild Card Playoff that went to Peacock. But Prime never makes same mistake twice.https://t.co/9OIO7pMvQo
— Michael McCarthy (@MMcCarthyREV) February 21, 2024
The staggering fee is a record for the streaming world, surpassing the $110 million that NBCUniversal’s Peacock paid for an AFC Wild Card playoff game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins on Jan. 14. It’s also more than the $100 million figure Prime paid to stream the NFL’s first-ever Black Friday game between the Dolphins and New York Jets on Nov. 24.
In 2023, Amazon passed up the opportunity to have the first-ever exclusively streaming playoff game to Peacock. The all-purpose tycoon won’t make that mistake again.
Despite the backlash of the NFL putting a playoff game behind a streaming paywall, the Chiefs-Dolphins contest was very fruitful for Peacock. The AFC playoff game averaged 23 million viewers, ranking it as the most-streamed live event in U.S. history. The streaming service also had biggest its’ single biggest day ever with a record 16.3 million concurrent devices. The game also generated 30% of the day’s internet traffic.
Meanwhile, Prime Video struggled on Black Friday with their telecast. Their exclusive stream drew only 9.61 million viewers the day after the NFL’s Thanksgiving Day games averaged a whopping 34.1 million viewers.
While the NFL has yet to confirm if a Black Friday game will occur next season, best believe Amazon will be at the forefront for the media rights.
Key offseason dates for the San Francisco 49ers
- Tuesday, Feb. 20th – Teams can begin franchising players until Tuesday, March 5th
- Tuesday, Feb. 27 – NFL Combine begins
- Thursday, March 13 – The 2024 free agency signing period begins at 1 p.m. PST
Thank you for reading SactownSports.com. Follow us on Twitter and Google News, and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
