Amazon, Twitter, Verizon and YouTube are all reportedly considering bids to win streaming rights for the NFL’s Thursday Night Football package, in what could be a multi-year deal.
Citing sources familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reported that Amazon, Twitter and YouTube were all weighing bids in the range of hundreds of millions of dollars for deals as long as five years. Recode, meanwhile, said Verizon also in the running. Last year, Verizon renewed a multi-year agreement with the NFL to stream certain of the league’s games across its media platforms.
This time around the Thursday Night Football NFL deal is likely to be a multi-year agreement, compared to the last two years, which saw single-season deals. Amazon paid $50 million for the streaming rights in 2017, while Twitter paid $10 million in 2016.
According to Bloomberg 21st Century Fox is helping the NFL in the streaming rights talks. Earlier this year Fox won broadcasting rights for NFL Thursday Football in a reportedly $3.3 billion, five-year deal.
The NFL is apparently seeking a deal partner who can complement the Thursday night games with interactive social media commentary and statistics.
Recode cited an unnamed source as saying Amazon may ditch its bid over concerns regarding new contract terms that could potentially limit viewership.