What’s next for Amazon after losing the Premier League?
Dec 20, 2023
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Amazon's Prime Video shifts focus to the Champions League in the UK. The podcast discusses how Amazon selects sports targets in Europe, delivers innovation through user experience, and the significance of the Champions League rights deal. They also touch on what Amazon learned from its first NFL 'Black Friday' game.
Amazon focuses on delivering value to its Prime subscribers through high-quality sports content and partnerships with other broadcasters.
Amazon's acquisition of Champions League broadcasting rights demonstrates their commitment to engaging viewers worldwide and enhancing the viewer experience.
Deep dives
Amazon's Approach to Sports Broadcasting
Amazon's sports broadcasting strategy focuses on delivering value to its Prime subscribers through a combination of live events, documentaries, and partnerships with other broadcasters. They prioritize offering a high-quality viewing experience, ensuring reliable delivery at scale to various devices. While being selective about the sports events they acquire, they aim to resonate with their audience and drive engagement and loyalty among Prime members. Though they do not share detailed audience metrics, they have demonstrated their ability to attract large audiences through events like the Premier League matches and the Champions League. Amazon's production approach emphasizes being pitch-side, aiming to bring viewers as close to the action as possible. They prioritize viewers' experience and aim to be an entertainment-driven sports destination rather than an overly commercial broadcaster. While they have invested in women's sports, their focus is primarily on their partnerships with third-party platforms, functioning as an aggregator to provide a diverse range of sports content to their viewers.
Amazon's Strategy for Champions League
Amazon's acquisition of Champions League broadcasting rights in various countries, such as Italy, Germany, and the upcoming UK coverage, demonstrates their commitment to delivering high-quality football matches to their subscribers. They have become a key destination for these major events, leveraging the global appeal of the Champions League to engage viewers worldwide. Despite focusing on offering live sports through Prime video, they have also invested in complementary content such as documentaries and magazine shows. While they don't plan on over-commercializing their broadcasts, they continue to explore new ways to enhance the viewer experience, leveraging technologies such as HDR and AI-driven features like rapid recaps.
Amazon's Role as an Aggregator in Sports Broadcasting
In addition to their first-party sports content, Amazon plays a significant role as an aggregator of sports content through partnerships with broadcasters and platforms. They have established collaborations with renowned broadcasters like TNT and Dezona, allowing them to offer a wide range of sports content on their Prime Video platform. This aggregating approach gives Prime members access to a diverse selection of sports channels, enhancing their value proposition. While they have limited investments in women's sports themselves, they strive to include more women's sports content through collaborations with federations and other broadcasters.
Amazon's Focus on Viewer Experience and Technology
Amazon prioritizes providing a high-quality viewer experience, considering factors like low latency, sound quality, and picture quality. They continuously work on improving the streaming technology to ensure reliability and offer features like HDR and AI-driven services. Their commitment to the viewer experience extends beyond technology, with a focus on production values that bring the audience closer to the action. By being pitch-side at major events, they create engaging and unique moments, including interviews with managers and interactive experiences with pundits. While their broadcasting technology and expertise are extensive, they emphasize that technology is an enabler rather than the driving force, with the viewer experience and content being the core focus.
Amazon's Prime Video is officially stepping away from the Premier League, shifting its focus in the UK to the Champions League. Alex Green, Amazon Prime Video Sport's European managing director, tells Steve McCaskill what’s next for the platform.
Talking points:
How Amazon selects its sports targets on a market-by-market basis in Europe?
How is Amazon Prime delivering innovation via user experience?
What is the importance of the Champions League rights deal in the UK?
What did Amazon learn from its first NFL 'Black Friday' game?
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