• Join Puck

    Directly Supporting Authors

    A new economic model in which writers are also partners in the business.

    Personalized Subscriptions

    Customize your settings to receive the newsletters you want from the authors you follow.

    Stay in the Know

    Connect directly with Puck talent through email and exclusive events.

  • What is puck? Newsletters Authors Podcasts Events Gift Puck Careers

Is the NFL Falling Hard for Amazon?

For the first time, a streaming service outdrew one of the NFL’s top TV partners in same-week viewership. Now, TV execs are grumbling that the NFL is setting up a future rights battle by giving streamers a taste of potential glory with the choicest matchups.

nfl Tampa Bay Buccaneers Atlanta Falcons
It’s easy to see why legacy executives are detecting an aroma of favoritism: Twelve of Amazon’s 16 games this season feature division rivalries. Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
John Ourand
November 15, 2024

Last week, the NFL achieved a significant milestone when viewership for Amazon Prime’s plucky Thursday Night Football telecast beat out ESPN’s Monday Night Football, marking the first time that any streaming service had attracted a larger audience in a same-week battle with one of the NFL’s top TV partners. Last weekend, Amazon netted 13.63 million viewers for the Bengals-Ravens game. Meanwhile, ESPN averaged 12.2 million viewers for the Dolphins and the Rams.