Amazon Prime Video’s foray into NFL streaming is rivalling traditional TV numbers – and viewing figures on the platform are continuing to grow. Viewership for Amazon’s ‘Thursday Night Football’ has grown for the third season in a row.
For the first time, the Amazon ratings have outperformed three seasons of the broadcast TV era – (2014, 2017 and 2020). It is the sixth-most watched season of the ‘Thursday Night Football’ package since it was introduced in 2006, although out-of-home viewing was not tracked before 2020.
In 2021, the final season on FOX and NFL Network, Thursday Night Football averaged 13.34 million viewers. In 2024, an average of 13.2 million fans per game tuned into Amazon.
The figure is up from 11.86 million the previous year and significantly higher than the 9.58 million viewer average two years prior. Thats an 11% gain over last season, and a hefty 38% jump since the 2022 season.
The figures don’t include the Black Friday game which drew in huge numbers. Amazon Prime snagged exclusive rights to ‘Thursday Night Football’ starting with the 2022 season, after sealing a deal worth a cool billion dollars annually over 11 years.
Amazon’s consistent uptick in viewers signals a potentially bright future. Jay Marine, Prime Video’s global head of sports and ads, isn’t shy about his enthusiasm. Celebrating their partnership with the NFL, he talked up the growth in viewership and the innovations theyve brought to fans and advertisers alike during their tenure broadcasting TNF exclusively on Prime Video.
“We could not be more proud of our partnership with the NFL,” Marine said. “Our viewership growth and the innovations we’ve initiated for fans and brands over these first three seasons of TNF on Prime.”
Amazon is set to broadcast its first NFL playoff game on either January 11 or 12, marking another milestone in the streaming service’s foray into the NFL domain. The teams and exact date will be determined after the final round of regular season games on January 5.
Meanwhile, Netflix made its debut in the live NFL world over Christmas with a doubleheader. The streaming giant shelled out $150m to air the Kansas City Chiefs’ win over the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens’ victory against the Houston Texans.
The broadcasts reached audiences in 218 countries and territories worldwide, reportedly averaging 26.5 million viewers across both games. The Chiefs’ game drew a global average minute audience of 30 million, while the Ravens’ game, featuring a halftime show by Beyonce, attracted 31.3 million global AMA.
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