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This illustration photo taken in Krakow, Poland on July 26, 2022 shows the Amazon Prime Video logo displayed on a phone screen and the Amazon Prime Video website displayed on a screen in the background.
Nurfoto | getty images
AmazonPrime Video has acquired exclusive rights to stream National Football League playoff games next season, a source familiar with the matter told CNBC.
The company earned the right to secure the game by garnering certain viewership last season as part of its “Thursday Night Football” agreement with the league, the source said. In 2021, Amazon agreed to pay approximately $1 billion per year for the exclusive rights to Thursday Night Football.
Last month, NBCUniversal’s Peacock showed an NFL Wild Card game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins, marking the first time that a playoff game was broadcast exclusively on the streaming service.
NBCUniversal was considering maintaining streaming-only playoff matchups next season, according to The Wall Street Journal, which first reported on Amazon’s latest deal with the NFL.
Amazon and the NFL declined to comment. A representative for NBCUniversal did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Amazon is betting heavily on sports broadcasting in hopes it will increase its Prime subscriptions. The Prime subscription program, which charges $139 per year for a range of features including free shipping, now has nearly 200 million subscribers worldwide. Amazon says there are 80 million active Prime Video households in the US
— CNBC’s Stephane Desaulniers contributed reporting.
Disclosure: NBCUniversal is the parent company of Peacock and CNBC
Watch: Inside the NFL’s streaming changes
