Continued Growth in Sports: Amazon Prime Video To Begin 11-Year NBA Deal Next Season; Agreement Includes New Black Friday Game, NBA Cup and In-Season Tournament Action

Continued Growth in Sports: Amazon Prime Video To Begin 11-Year NBA Deal Next Season; Agreement Includes New Black Friday Game, NBA Cup and In-Season Tournament Action The deal comes with 66 regular-season NBA games, including an week doubleheader By Kristian Hern ndez, Senior Editor

Wednesday, July 24, 2024 - 5:02 pm

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Continuing their progress in the realm of live sports programming, Amazon Prime Video has announced an 11-year media rights agreement with the National Basketball Association that will begin with the 2025-26 NBA season. In this deal, Prime Video will present exclusive global coverage of 66 regular-season NBA games, including an opening week doubleheader, a new Black Friday NBA game, and all games from the Knockout Rounds of the Emirates NBA Cup, including the in-season tournament's Semifinals and Finals.

NBA and WNBA basketball will serve as yet another cornerstone of the robust sports business our Prime Video team has built in just the last six years, says Mike Hopkins, Head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios. When combined with our original films and shows; partner streaming services; licensed content; and rent or buy titles - our sports offering is a major driver of Prime Video's evolution into a genuine one-stop shop for everything our customers want in video.

Prime Video also acquires rights to exclusive coverage of every game of the postseason SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament, first and second-round playoff games, and Conference Finals in six of the 11 years of the deal. Prime Video will distribute its package of games in the U.S. and internationally, with an expanded package of games in select territories, including Mexico, Brazil, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom and Ireland. This expanded package includes a minimum of 20 additional primetime regular season games each year, a Conference Finals series each year, and the NBA Finals in six of the 11 years.

As part of the agreement, Prime Video Channels will also be the strategic partner and third-party global channels store destination for NBA League Pass, the NBA's subscription service for streaming live and on-demand games, in the U.S. and internationally.

The digital opportunities with Amazon align perfectly with the global interest in the NBA, says NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. And Prime Video's massive subscriber base will dramatically expand our ability to reach our fans in new and innovative ways.

Prime Video's regular season NBA coverage will tip off at the start of the 2025-26 season with an opening week doubleheader, and will include Friday night games, select Saturday afternoon games, and Thursday night doubleheaders, which will begin in January 2026 after the conclusion of Prime Video's Thursday Night Football schedule. Prime Video will present live NBA pregame, postgame and halftime shows as part of its coverage, with additional details around talent and production to be announced at a later date. Prime Video will also stream half of all NBA Summer League games, as well as a package of WNBA and NBA G League regular-season and postseason games.

The international live game package rights extend worldwide, with the exception of Greater China, Poland, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and the Netherlands, with rights in Canada beginning in the 2026-27 NBA season.

Over the past three years, Prime Video has rapidly become a leader in presenting live sports worldwide, with a lineup of marquee properties available on the service in 2024 and 2025 including the NFL, the WNBA, NASCAR, and the NWSL in the U.S., the NHL in Canada, UEFA Champions League soccer in the U.K., Germany and Italy, Premier League soccer in the U.K. and Sweden, Roland Garros tennis in France, and Wimbledon in Germany and Austria.

We are proud to be the first exclusive streaming partner for the NBA, bringing Prime members across the globe one of the most exciting and most popular sports in the world. With 66 regular season games, the NBA Cup, the Play-In Tournament, more than 20 playoff games every year, and NBA League Pass, we're giving basketball fans around the world more ways than ever to watch the action, says Jay Marine, Global Head of Sports, Prime Video. Over the past few years, we have worked hard to bring the very best of sports to Prime Video and to continue to innovate on the viewing experience. We're thrilled to now add the NBA to our growing sports lineup, including the NFL, UEFA Champions League, NASCAR, NHL, WNBA, NWSL, Wimbledon, and more. We are grateful to partner with the NBA, and can't wait to tip-off in 2025.

LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2024/07/24/continued-growth-in-sports-amaz...
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