Earlier this month, Amazon landed the streaming-exclusive NFL Playoff game for the 2024-25 season. In doing so, Amazon displaced NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming service who had the NFL’s first and lone streaming playoff game this past season.. While it was unclear then, the rumored price has started to leak out.
CNBC reported on Wednesday evening that Amazon will pay a whoooping $150 million for the exclusive rights to an NFL playoff game next season. Earlier Wednesday, Front Office Sports reported that the NFL’s price tag was $120 million to have the rights for the game next January.
Just now @sherman4949 went on CNBC with news that the price tag for Amazon's streaming exclusive playoff game next year is $150 million.
Earlier today, @FOS reported the number at $120 million
NFL equivalent to finding an extra $30 million in their couch cushions. pic.twitter.com/xgEM9ITmPS
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 22, 2024
“I’m told the number is closer to $150 million rather than $120 million from a source familiar with the matter,” Sherman said. He added that both Amazon and the NFL both issued “no comment” on the news.
“The point of why this is important is that Peacock paid $110 million for the last playoff game. So, if Amazon is paying closer to $150 million for this one, now we’re talking about a 30-plus percent increase. Not a nine or ten percent increase.
When Peacock shelled out $110 million for the game, you had to expect that whatever price tag the game had last year, it would absolutely go up this year given increased ratings across the board for the NFL. Although the game irked fans in terms of being inaccessible without subscribing to Peacock, there were no notable technical issues and the network boasted that 23 million people watched the AFC Wild Card game between the Miami Dolphins and the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Amazon liked what I saw and will look to potentially do better this next season as their higher subscriber base will likely see them break new records.. $150 million is no small sum, and Amazon clearly has shown a ‘want’ to stream NFL games. Their Prime Vision cast has gotten rave reviews, and it’s being featured in a potential playoff game definitely creates a big moment for that alternate broadcast, in a way. It will likely have more exposure than ever before previously, so perhaps that’s a sub-level storyline to watch here. Alternate broadcasts are all the rage, after all.
Nonetheless, the price is going up, just like everything else these days.
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022