Amazon has been in talks with "heavy hitters" like the NBA, MLB and the NFL for the "rights to carry live games," according to sources cited by Shalini Ramachandran in a front-page piece for the WALL STREET JOURNAL. Sources said that Amazon also "talked with soccer, lacrosse and surfing leagues." With at least some leagues, including the NBA, Amazon has "floated the idea of creating an exclusive premium sports package available with its Amazon Prime." While streaming services offer a "wide array of TV shows and movies, it is hard to find live sports outside of traditional broadcast and cable outlets." Amazon also is "racing to compete against rival tech giants" like Facebook, Twitter and BAM Tech, which are "seeking sports rights to beef up their video offerings." Amazon execs have "approached traditional TV networks about game rights they aren’t using." A source said that Amazon asked Univision if it would "consider producing and packaging" Liga MX games that it "doesn’t air." Sources also said that Amazon approached ESPN and ONE World Sports for "leftover live games" and talked with the ACC, Campus Insiders, 120 Sports, the NLL, MLL and the World Surf League. A source said that Amazon has asked to "exclusively license the NBA’s League Pass, which offers live out-of-market games," but the NBA "demurred, having long preferred selling it via multiple outlets." Sources said that Amazon also is "seeking sports packages like NFL Game Pass, which shows replays of past matchups, to sell as an add-on to Prime members." Leading the talks is Amazon Head of Sports Jim DeLorenzo, who was hired earlier this year. One "big hurdle" for Amazon is that "many premium rights are tied up" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 11/22).
SHOT ACROSS THE BOW: THE VERGE's Micah Singleton noted outside of "offering the same pay packages the leagues currently offer online and through cable providers, it will be impossible for Amazon to grab major U.S. sports leagues away from its competitors until the next decade." Given that Amazon is "known for playing the long game, it’s possible that the service will eventually come away with live game rights for a major sports league." At the least, it will "make cable companies uncomfortable to know that a company with Amazon’s cash reserves is interested in bringing live sports to the internet" (THEVERGE.com, 11/21).
SEEING A TREND? USA TODAY's Mike Snider notes leagues have "expanded their online streaming offerings recently with the NFL streaming games on Yahoo and Twitter." Twitter also has "deals to begin streaming" MLB and NHL games. But even if Amazon begins to stream out-of-market games, Leichtman Research Group President & Principal Analyst Bruce Leichtman said, "I don’t think that there would be any 'big blow' to pay-TV coming from Amazon via live sports in the near future" (USA TODAY, 11/22).
