Amazon will begin streaming Thursday Night Football games in 2022, one year earlier than expected.
The announcement will mark the end of Fox’s broadcast of the National Football League’s (NFL) Thursday evening games after the upcoming season ends in 2022.
“This expedited deal is an immediate differentiator for us as a service, as it gives Prime members exclusive access to the most popular sport in the United States,” Marie Donoghue, Amazon’s vice president of global sports video, said in a statement.
Amazon’s deal with the NFL originally covered Thursday evening games starting with the 2022-2023 season. The agreement will now cover Thursday games played over the course of 11 seasons.
The games will stream on Amazon Prime Video, the technology company’s streaming product that is included with its $13 a month Amazon Prime membership plan. A standalone subscription to Amazon Prime Video without the other Prime membership perks is also available for $9 a month.
Amazon is paying $1 billion per season for the right to stream the Thursday evening NFL games, which have often seen lower national ratings compared to telecasts on Sundays and Mondays. Comcast, the Walt Disney Company and Fox Corporation hold broadcast and streaming rights to those regular season, playoff and championship NFL games.
