Amazon Reportedly Working on Sports Streaming App

Amazon is working on a standalone sports app, according to The Information(Opens in a new window).

A source with information about the plan tells The Information that the app will “declutter Amazon’s main Prime Video app.”

The move comes as Amazon seeks to strengthen its grip on the sports streaming market. The company already owns the rights to stream NFL games in the US and Premier League soccer matches in the UK. 

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has been vocal about his desire for the e-commerce company to invest in sports programming. At a New York Times Dealbook talk(Opens in a new window) last month, he called live sports “such a unique asset,” adding that interest in sports drives Prime subscriptions. On top of securing streaming rights for NFL games, last month the company launched original sports talk shows(Opens in a new window) on both Prime Video and Freevee, its free ad-based streaming service.

Details about a possible launch are scant. However, TechCrunch speculates(Opens in a new window) that the high cost of acquiring sports-related streaming rights could mean Amazon will charge an extra fee beyond the cost of Amazon Prime, which is currently $139 per year or $14.99 per year.

Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

There’s growing interest among tech giants to secure sports viewing rights on their streaming services. Google last week signed a deal reportedly worth $2 billion to move NFL Sunday Ticket games from satellite provider DirecTV to YouTube TV, Google’s $65/month live TV streaming service, and Primetime Channels, which lets viewers watch third-party content from YouTube.

In June, meanwhile, Apple signed a 10-year exclusive deal to stream all Major League Soccer games through the Apple TV app.