In May 2024, Netflix announced a three-season deal with the NFL to stream football games, including two NFL games on Christmas Day. Amazon Prime Video has also secured an 11-year media rights agreement with the NBA, which is set to start with the 2025-26 season, indicating that the two are battling it out for sports supremacy.
Could venturing into sports gaming be a viable option?
Even though Netflix and Amazon are investing heavily in sports content, neither has ventured into sports gaming, even though both have a gaming platform. Netflix has one title called Sports Sports, but as time goes on, it’ll be interesting to see if this is expanded on. With Netflix so focused on fishing content, including their viral Seaspiracy documentary, this could be a bold move that gives them the edge.
Fishing games are also very popular right now, with the Big Bass franchise having 34 variants to choose from. Big Bass Day at the Races is just one of them and is packed with numerous features, including free spins, and multipliers. There are also money symbols, multipliers, and wild collections, showing how much potential there is for the niche. Multiplayer fishing games are also popular, with games including Fishing Planet. Titles like this have made a big impact on the sports game genre and could be a viable option for the company to explore.
Amazon on the other hand is very much invested in the NBA, so creating a virtual basketball game would allow for a fresh approach. Advanced player customization, unique game modes, and even dynamic player chemistry could all come into the game as unique features, with the addition of VR being welcome, considering the wealth of VR content currently available on the platform. With both companies having viable pipelines for a potential sports game, this could be the key to them dominating the market.
Amazon and Netflix’s lucrative sporting deals
Amazon Prime Video has signed a deal that grants them exclusive coverage of 66 regular NBA games every year. This includes the Black Friday game and the games from the Emirates NBA Cup and Knockout Rounds. This encompasses the Finals and Semifinals as well. Amazon is also going to be streaming a selection of the NBA G League and WNBA games.
Amazon has also entered an agreement with Hendrick Motorsport, which allows them to sponsor Chase Elliott’s car for three races, up until 2027. Netflix has also ventured into live boxing, with several high-profile matches taking place. The one between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson was one of the most-streamed sports matches they have broadcasted to date. Netflix has also signed a deal with the World Wrestling Entertainment company. The company is owned by TKO Group Holdings, a subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. Lucrative deals like this are helping to bring more and more people to the platforms, as both companies try to gain a bigger share of the market.
Although signing more deals will surely give Netflix and Amazon the chance to take a bigger share of the sports market, venturing into different verticals could be the way forward. New verticals could open up alternative markets, as well as provide access to new demographics. This could all be very exciting while being the key to sports supremacy in 2025.
See also: What’s coming to Netflix this February: A month of love and entertainment
