Amazon’s Prime Video will continue broadcasting an exclusive NFL Wild Card Game through the end of its media rights deal, according to a new report from Austin Karp of Sports Business Journal. The league is said to have granted the streaming provider the rights to broadcast this playoff contest following a successful showcase between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens this past January that averaged 22.07 million viewers.
It marked the second consecutive year in which a game within the Wild Card round of the playoffs was an exclusive presentation on a streaming service. Peacock, the NBCUniversal-owned property, aired the first NFL Wild Card exclusive last season between the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs, an AFC matchup that averaged 22.86 million viewers.
The audience for the Prime Video Wild Card game, albeit down 3% in viewership year-over-year, represented the largest audience for an NFL game on the streaming platform. Amazon reportedly paid approximately $150 million to stream the game this past season, but it remains unknown how the price will shift in years to come. The reported transaction also indicates the first time the NFL has committed to regularly putting a playoff game on the vertical as it continues to do business with digital ventures. Amazon will retain rights to the game for each year unless the league was to opt out of its deal, which it is reportedly able to do after the 2029 season.
The Prime Video presentation of NFL games throughout the regular season on its Thursday Night Football broadcast property averaged 14.23 million viewers, according to data from the Big Data + Panel from Nielsen Media Research. Based on the methodology and one-minute qualifier, 91.1 million unique U.S. viewers tuned into the broadcasts throughout the season, a 27% increase from its inaugural 2022 campaign. Peak viewership across the 15-game slate was calculated to have averaged 15.93 million viewers. Furthermore, the Black Friday exclusive game between the Las Vegas Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs averaged 13.51 million viewers, up 41% from the last season.
Amazon’s Prime Video lead broadcast team includes play-by-play announcer Al Michaels, analyst Kirk Herbstreit and sideline reporter Kaylee Hartung. Although it remains unknown if Michaels will return for next season, reports indicate that he will remain with the outlet on a year-to-year basis. The studio show surrounding the live game broadcasts includes Charissa Thompson, Richard Sherman, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Andrew Whitworth, Tony Gonzalez, Taylor Rooks and Albert Breer.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.
