• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechGlobal 500

Amazon Isn’t Just Gunning for Netflix, It’s Going After ESPN Too

By
Mathew Ingram
Mathew Ingram
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Mathew Ingram
Mathew Ingram
Down Arrow Button Icon
November 21, 2016, 5:44 PM ET
US-ENTERTAINMENT-AMAZON-EMMY-PARTY
Photograph by Tomasso Boddi AFP/Getty Images

It’s only been a few days since the news broke that Amazon is rolling out its Prime Video streaming service in more than 200 countries to go head-to-head with Netflix. And now the e-commerce giant is said to be looking at putting together a premium sports package to go with it.

The company has been in talks with a wide range of different sports leagues about acquiring broadcasting rights, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

Obviously, Amazon would probably be most interested in the top National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, and National Football League events, but it is also talking to the National Lacrosse League and the World Surf League, the newspaper’s sources said.

The big problem with trying to buy up basketball, football, and baseball programming is that the major networks—especially ESPN—have already locked up most of them for the next decade or so.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

For example, the deal that ESPN has with the NBA doesn’t end until 2024, and the rights packages that ESPN, CBS and NBC have for National Football League games run into the next decade as well. Even college football teams have locked up rights with various cable networks.

ESPN’s parent Disney is also looking to expand its streaming offerings, including a new service that is expected to be launched soon. That’s why the entertainment giant recently spent $1 billion to buy a stake in BAMTech, the tech provider that handles streaming for Major League Baseball and a number of other clients including ESPN.

According to the Journal, Amazon is “keenly aware” that the NFL Sunday Ticket games offered by DirecTV helped give that cable competitor a boost when it first launched, and therefore Amazon wants to do something similar by signing up whatever sports it can.

Amazon gets a head start on Black Friday. Watch:

As with almost everything Amazon does, the content in this case is just a lure to get customers to sign up for its Prime subscription service, which generates significant returns for the company and now incorporates everything from free shipping on products to a Spotify-style music service.

There’s one big reason why we shouldn’t dismiss either the online giant’s sports ambitions or its global Netflix competitor: Namely, Amazon’s $380 billion market capitalization, and the massive river of cash that spins out of its Amazon Web Services division, where hundreds of Fortune 500 companies store their data. It generates about $10 billion in revenue every year.

That’s definitely enough to spend buying up sporting rights. All Amazon has to do is find someone who is willing to sell and who hasn’t already cut a deal with an existing network.

About the Author
By Mathew Ingram
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
Fortune Secondary Logo
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

PoliticsColleges and Universities
Pentagon chief blocks officers from Ivy League schools and other top universities, including partners on AI and space
By Jason MaFebruary 28, 2026
24 minutes ago
AIAnthropic
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei says ‘we are patriotic Americans’ committed to defending the U.S. but won’t budge on ‘red lines’
By Jason MaFebruary 28, 2026
5 hours ago
sarandos
InvestingMedia
3 things we will never know after Netflix pulled out of the Warner Bros. bidding, handing it to Paramount
By Nick LichtenbergFebruary 28, 2026
8 hours ago
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman
AIAnthropic
OpenAI sweeps in to ink deal with Pentagon as Anthropic is designated a ‘supply chain risk’—an unprecedented action likely to crimp its growth
By Jeremy KahnFebruary 28, 2026
8 hours ago
Big TechAmerican Politics
Your spend as a ‘weapon’: Scott Galloway’s ‘Resist and Unsubscribe’ movement asks you to ditch Amazon, Apple, and Netflix to oppose Trump
By Kristin StollerFebruary 28, 2026
12 hours ago
world's fair
CommentaryRobots
Something big is happening in AI, but panic is the wrong reaction
By Peter CappelliFebruary 28, 2026
13 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Success
Japanese companies are paying older workers to sit by a window and do nothing—while Western CEOs demand super-AI productivity just to keep your job
By Orianna Rosa RoyleFebruary 27, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Walmart exec says U.S. workforces needs to take inspiration from China where ‘5 year-olds are learning DeepSeek’
By Preston ForeFebruary 27, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Middle East
Iran is now on 'death ground' amid existential threat from U.S. attacks and could 'go big' in retaliation, former NATO commander warns
By Jason MaFebruary 28, 2026
7 hours ago
placeholder alt text
AI
The week the AI scare turned real and America realized maybe it isn't ready for what's coming
By Nick LichtenbergFebruary 28, 2026
14 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Personal Finance
Current price of gold as of February 27, 2026
By Danny BakstFebruary 27, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Law
China's government intervenes to show Michigan scientists were carrying worms, not biological materials
By Ed White and The Associated PressFebruary 26, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.