Amazon in talks with NFL over multi-year for Sunday Ticket, report says – CNET [CNET]

Amazon is reportedly looking win big with the National Football League. The online retail giant is in talks with the NFL to acquire rights for the league’s Sunday Ticket package as part of a multi-year deal, according to a report Friday from CNBC. Amazon is reportedly seen as the frontrunner in these talks, said CNBC, citing people familiar with the matter. 

DirecTV currently has rights to Sunday Ticket, which lets its customers access to all out-of-market NFL games on Sunday. But its contract with the NFL comes to an end after the 2022-23 seasons, according to CNBC. 

Amazon already has exclusive rights to the NFL’s Thursday Night Football starting in 2022. The company has been streaming Thursday Night Football games on its Prime Video platform for the past few seasons, but was doing so in conjunction with a traditional broadcaster like Fox. The new deal marks the first time a streaming platform will be the sole home for Thursday games without a traditional TV partner (though games will still air on local TV in teams’ home markets). 

The NFL is “expected to ask between $2 billion and $2.5 billion per year” for the Sunday Ticket package, according to CNBC. Previous reports have suggested that Disney and Apple have expressed interest in Sunday Ticket. The NFL reportedly wants to finish up discussions before this season ends in February.

Amazon and the NFL declined to comment.

More to come.