Amazon in Talks to Exclusively Carry Many NFL Games

The NFL is close to signing a new media rights deal that would result in Amazon Prime Video exclusively carrying many games.

A significant number of Thursday Night Football games will be broadcast exclusively on Amazon Prime Video after the fall 2022 season, if the deal is completed, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Thursday Night Football games wouldn’t be available on traditional television outside of the local markets of the two teams playing, the WSJ reports.

Amazon currently pays between $75 million and $100 million to stream Thursday games, and could pay close to $1 billion if the deal goes through.

In an attempt to embrace new platforms and its revenue from traditional broadcast television, TV networks could pay as much as double their current rate, the WSJ reports.

Fox's annual average fee for Sunday afternoon games is expected to jump to around $2 billion from the current $1.1 billion, while CBS's average fee for Sunday afternoon games will likely go from $1 billion to the $2 billion range.

NBC's average of $960 million per season is likely to increase to around $2 billion, and NBC’s streaming service Peacock will also carry one game exclusively and will simulcast NBC’s Sunday night games, the WSJ reports.

Fox, CBS and NBC agreements would begin after the 2022-23 season.

The league also expects to get a big increase in fees from ESPN, and the deal would go into effect after the 2021-22 season.

The fee increases come after a season in which ratings were down for the regular season, playoffs and Super Bowl, and the article states CBS, Fox, NBC and ESPN are all facing challenges holding on to viewers.

The television deals for the NFL's Sunday and Monday franchises with Fox, CBS, NBC and ESPN are likely to run for as long as 11 years, the article states.

The WSJ reports that new agreements could be in place as early as next week.