ESPN-Amazon, a Wall Street Fantasy & an A.I. Hack
Amazon is considering partnering with ESPN as it moves towards becoming a streaming service, a move likely influenced by increasing cord-cutting and decreasing profitability for ESPN.
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Posted 8/27/2023, 8:26:57 PM
puck.news
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Amazon Prime Video is enhancing its coverage of NFL games by producing and distributing all games in HDR, utilizing AI and NFL Next-Gen Stats for in-game data visualizations, and offering a range of interactive features. The streaming service aims to provide football fans with a unique and immersive viewing experience.
Amazon is reportedly in talks with Disney to work on the streaming version of ESPN and potentially acquire a minority stake in the sports network.
Disney CEO Bob Iger's search for equity partners for ESPN could result in Amazon acquiring a minority stake in the network to aid in the development of a direct-to-consumer version, joining other potential partners such as the NFL, NBA, MLB, and Verizon.
Disney is in preliminary discussions with Amazon about partnering to stream ESPN and potentially taking a minority financial stake in the sports service, as ESPN considers launching a comprehensive and expensive streaming service costing $20-$35 per month.
ESPN is facing challenges as consumers shift to streaming and turn to other platforms for sports highlights, leading to a decline in pay-TV households and increasing costs for live sports programming, prompting speculation about the future of the network, including the possibility of a strategic partnership and the eventual availability of the flagship ESPN channel as a direct-to-consumer streaming service.