Report: Amazon agrees NFL streaming deal

Amazon has reportedly reached a deal to stream Thursday night American football during the forthcoming 2017/18 NFL season.

The Wall Street Journal and New York Times both reported that Amazon had agreed to pay around US$50 million for the 10 Thursday night games – roughly five times the amount Twitter agreed to pay for the same rights for the 2016/17 season.

Amazon will reportedly make the matches available to Amazon Prime members, with the matches also available on linear TV in the US via separate deals with CBS and NBC.

According to the WSJ, which broke the story, Amazon outbid Twitter, Facebook and Google to secure the rights.

Last season Twitter offered Thursday night football to a global audience for free, without authentication. This partnership included live match coverage, as well as in-game highlights and pre-game Periscope broadcasts from players and teams.