Amazon’s interest in National Basketball Association (NBA) games lifted the league’s sport in terms of international viewership, according to new data cited by the tech company this week.
Global viewership of Prime Video’s NBA coverage increased 28 percent year over year during the platform’s inaugural season under its new global media rights agreement, with particularly strong audience growth across Europe, Asia-Pacific and Latin America.
Prime Video, which is offered to Amazon customers as part of their Prime membership, began carrying NBA games internationally under an 11-year global rights agreement that makes live games available to Prime members in more than 200 countries and territories at no additional cost.
According to audience data compiled by media analytics firm Fifty5Blue, NBA viewership on Prime Video across Europe increased 129 percent compared with the previous season, resulting in the highest average NBA audiences ever recorded for the region. The exclusive live presentation of the NBA Finals also grew 130 percent year over year, becoming the most-watched Finals in Europe since 2016.
France posted some of the strongest gains, fueled by local interest in Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs. Viewership during the five-game championship series increased 265 percent from the prior year, with the Knicks-Spurs Finals becoming the most-watched NBA Finals on record in France.
Prime Video also reported continued momentum across Asia-Pacific, where viewership increased 29 percent year over year during the regular season, according to historical international audience data compiled by Fifty5Blue.
In Latin America, Amazon said first-party data showed NBA viewership rose 80 percent in both Brazil and Mexico, markets where Prime Video has streamed NBA games since the 2022-23 season. The 2026 NBA Finals became the platform’s most-watched NBA broadcasts in both countries.
Alex Green, Managing Director of Prime Video Sport International, said the first season exceeded expectations and validated Amazon’s long-term investment in international basketball coverage.
“Attracting the highest average viewership in Europe on record and delivering significant audience growth internationally speaks to the power of combining world-class live sports with Prime Video’s expansive reach, technology, and customer-first approach,” Green said in a statement. “We’re committed to meeting fans where they are, in their language and their time zone.”
Green noted that Prime Video delivered localized NBA broadcasts in 14 languages across more than 200 countries and territories throughout the season, allowing viewers to access coverage tailored to local languages and time zones.
“Global interest in the NBA is at an all-time high, and the first season of our expanded collaboration with Amazon successfully demonstrated our shared commitment to celebrating the game with our passionate fans around the world,” said Matt Brabants, the Senior Vice President and Head of International Content Partnerships at the NBA. “Together with Prime Video, we’re providing more access to the game, reaching new audiences, and continuing to build our global fanbase.”
Amazon shares global broadcast rights to NBA games with Warner Bros Discovery (WBD). In the United States, rights are split between Prime Video and Comcast’s NBC and Peacock, with Disney’s ESPN retaining a smaller package of games during the 11-year media rights deal. Local broadcasters also have rights to some regular-season and post-season NBA games in their respective regions.
