Amazon is moving to expand its presence in live sports by streaming European Champions League games in the UK from 2024, according to the deal announced Friday. The online retailer and video platform has expanded its reach in live sports in the past three years, and it is now looking to challenge the traditional broadcast model. Amazon has offered games to its UK users since 2019, while most matches have remained with mainstream broadcasters.
Current exclusive UK rights holder, BT Sport, will also continue to broadcast live matches but not as many as it has to date.
UEFA’s expansion of the competition, which now involves 32 teams, to 36 will see an additional 64 games appearing, part of the organization’s goal to raise revenue. The value of the Champions League, the Europa League, and the Europa Conference League in the UK will rise from £1.2bn to about £1.4bn.
Amazon will have just 17 Champions League games this season, but it can choose from some of the most desirable games. According to a person familiar with the deal, Amazon will pay $150m a year.
Enders Analysis, the research group, said the deal was “consistent with Amazon’s habit of taking positions left empty by incumbents rather than challenging them in inflationary bids”.
In a statement, UEFA’s marketing director Guy-Laurent Epstein said: “Amazon has ambitious plans across the global sporting industry and we look forward to the innovative ways in which it will broadcast European club football in the UK market.”
With new deals coming from Apple to carry MLS and Viacom to carry the Indian Premier League, the competition for streaming rights is heating up.
Paolo Pescatore, analyst at PP Foresight, called the new deal unveiled on Friday “a win for all parties.” He explained: “While BT Sport loses exclusivity, it provides long-term certainty going into the joint venture with Discovery, providing fans with more games and for less money.” He also highlighted: “More players means fragmentation, but this should not be a huge issue. Amazon is now establishing itself as a key provider of sports in the U.K. as it continues to steadily beef up its programming. This will help drive Prime subscriptions and sales even further with more live sport through the year.”
In the U.S., Prime Video now has exclusive rights to NFL Thursday Night Football, in addition to some New York Yankees games and sponsorship of Major League Soccer’s Seattle Sounders.