“This expedited deal is an immediate differentiator for us as a service, as it gives Prime members exclusive access to the most popular sport in the United States.” “We look forward to bringing Thursday Night Football exclusively to Prime members in 2022, a year earlier than previously announced,” said Marie Donoghue, vice president of global sports video at Amazon, in a statement. If you were like me, you read the above information, or maybe saw a headline, and thought to yourself, “That’s fine, I’ll just watch it on NFL Network on on the NFL app.” But that might not be an option. The Prime Video package is for 15 Thursday night games and one pre-season game each season. The technology giant is paying $1 billion per season for the exclusive rights.Īmazon’s deal will now run 11 years, matching the length of the Sunday and Monday packages acquired by Disney, Comcast, ViacomCBS and FOX. As of now, TNF games will only be able to be viewed by Amazon Prime members and on Amazon Prime Video.Īmazon Prime Video’s exclusive 15-game “Thursday Night Football” package will now debut in 2022, a year earlier than previously announced, the company said Monday.Īmazon made history last month when it became the first all-streaming provider to agree to carry a weekly package of National Football League games. Where will you be catching TNF games in 2022, and beyond? How about Amazon. However, TNF will be finding a new home in 2022. At one point only on the NFL Network, and last season the games were found on FOX. Since Thursday Night Football became an every week event, the games have bounced around from station to station. Players tend to hate it due to the quick turnaround, while many fans love having another day of the week to enjoy their favorite sport on television. The Park pub opposite Anfield, home of Liverpool, was rammed with socially distanced fans watching the game alongside cardboard cutouts of their heroes.Īmidst the horros of the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for the return of football fans inside stadiums may seem trivial but for many it brings a crusical dimension to their lives.When it comes to the National Football League, and their fans, Thursday Night Football (TNF) can be a sensitive subject. Swansea fan Lloyd, cycled from his home in east London to The Den, home of Millwall, hoping to glimpse his team through a gap in the stands before being escorted away by security.Īs pubs reopened on Super Saturday, a flavour of the terraces returned, 24 year old Chelse fan, Nicholas, watched the match on TV with friends in a private function room at The Chelsea Pensioner pub a few hundred metres from Stamford Bridge stadium. Siobahn walked her dog Cleo around the ground as she does every match day, waving a hurling stick in tribute to Villa midfielder, Jack Grealish, who played the game as a kid. Unable to access BT Sport to watch the game against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Aston Villa fans Jordan and Jess drove six miles to Villa Park to listen to commentary on their phone within ear shot of their team. 83 year old Joyce, broke her 93 day confinement and got on a bus from her home in east London for a trip around the ground with her son, John. When Tottenham Hotspur played Manchester United on a gloomy Friday night in north London, united fans Michael, Michael and Gaz drove 200 miles to watch the game on an iPad opposite the stadium. Pubs and bars remained closed, strict social distancing was in place. What would the new match day look like and how far fanatical fans would go to create a match day experience?Īs project restart kicked off, lockdown restrictions were stringent. Not every fan complied, the temptation to be close to their idols, too much. Signs advised supporters to leave the area and watch from home. Police were on patrol to disperse potential groups. The advice was to stay away from football stadiums. Regular outlets for emotional release were denied. Lifetime traditions and habits suspended, maybe gone forever. When lockdown was initiated, fans were abruptly severed from their team. When fixtures are released, fans plot their route through the season with Field Marshall Montgomery precision: how will they get there, what will they wear, what will they eat and drink and with whom? Dates of matches are rapidly cross checked with work and family commitments, the relief palpable when a meeting or christening doesn't clash with a must watch derby. Fortunes have been spent following a team, lifetime grudges have developed, relationships have failed.Ī match day starts months before the alarm goes off the morning of the game. Terrfified parents pull a team shirt over their newborn in the hope they won't choose blue over red. Football undoubtedly brings out the fanatic in the fan.
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