There’s not a lot out there right now regarding the market for live sports rights in the United States. But that’s not stopping Amazon from declaring they want to be a factor in what is available.
In an interview with CNBC’s Alex Sherman, Amazon Prime Video’s Global Head of Sports, Jay Marine, discussed what properties the company was eyeing to bolster its live sports portfolio.
“With sports rights that may be coming up for market, there aren’t a lot, ESPN may opt out of its deal with Major League Baseball. Would you be interested in doing something there if that happens?” Sherman posed.
“We looked at everything, you know, I think it’s only responsible to look at everything,” Marine began. “I think MLB has done a great job. You know, they’ve really made some innovations in the game to speed up the game, and that’s really seemed to have worked.”
Not so long ago, Amazon planned to invest nine figures in Diamond Sports Group (now Main Street Sports Group) during its bankruptcy proceedings. This would have been an entryway for the company into local MLB rights. However, after that plan fell through, a national MLB package could make a lot of sense considering Amazon’s national strategy with the NBA starting next season.
The interview then turned to the hottest live sports rights currently on the market: UFC. The MMA promotion’s current deal with ESPN ends this year, and it is widely expected that UFC CEO Dana White and Co. will look to add at least one more partner to the mix in its next set of deals.
Marine wants to be part of the action.
“You know what Dana and that team, I mean, that’s an incredible success story,” Marine told CNBC. “They’ve grown that into just an incredibly valuable franchise, incredibly passionate fan base. I have huge respect for them over there, and if that comes to market, I think they’re an exclusive window right now, we’d be very interested in taking a look as I expect every broadcaster would.”
It wouldn’t be surprising to see the UFC ink a deal with a streamer, though Netflix is seen as the leader in the clubhouse, given its deal with WWE’s Raw franchise. The UFC and WWE now operate under the same corporate umbrella, TKO.
It’s fair to say Amazon isn’t shy about wanting to become more involved in live sports. The only question is, will there be enough for them to buy?
