With brief, occasional, italicized and sometimes gratuitous commentary…
• From Business Insider:
"After hitting some snags with its inaugural NFL 'Thursday Night Football' season on Prime Video last year, Amazon is bringing plenty of swagger to the field this year.
"Amazon is getting more TV ad dollars this year as the twin Hollywood strikes rage on, a top exec said.
"'Because of the strikes, more ad dollars are flowing to live sports, and there's nothing more exciting than live sports,' Jay Marine, Amazon's VP of Prime Video and global head of sports, said during a Zoom press conference Monday previewing the fall season. 'We're getting more than our share.'
"Marine and 'TNF' talent like Al Michaels and Kaylee Hartung also talked up the fall schedule that'll include key matchups; NFL's first Black Friday game, which will air free to all fans; and new audience targeting capabilities and interactive ads. The 16-game season kicks off September 14 with the Minnesota Vikings facing the Philadelphia Eagles; a preseason game will stream August 24."
Business Insider reports that "Marine left no question as to whether Amazon would continue to be a big player in live sports. At a time when sports rights fees are soaring, putting a financial strain on already declining linear TV networks, he said the tech giant will continue to be 'aggressive' in seeking out more rights, given sports' unique ability to command a valuable audience."
Live events also have a unique ability to create a differential advantage for the media company that has them - and the more that Amazon can drive people to Prime membership, the more successful it can be in the other categories that comprise Prime.
