Thanksgiving Deal: Amazon Prime Video Plans Free Game Gift For NFL Viewers
Tuesday, March 7, 2023 at 07:27PM By Barry Janoff
March 7, 2023: The day after Thanksgiving is usually a time to sleep and/or shop.
This year, it is, for the first time, also a day to watch the NFL.
Approaching the second year as the exclusive carrier of NFL Thursday Night Football, Amazon Prime Video said it plans to live-stream a NFL game on Black Friday for free, “even if you're not a Prime member yet.”
The exclusive Prime Video game on Nov. 24 (3 PM ET, subject to change) marks the first time the NFL has scheduled a game for the day after Thanksgiving. The teams are TBD when the full NFL schedule is released in May.
“We’re excited to expand our relationship with the NFL and build a new holiday tradition for our customers with the first Black Friday NFL game,” Jay Marine, vp-Prime Video and global head of sports, said via the media company.
“We’re so very proud of our Thursday Night Football production and all the teams in front of and behind the camera. As families look to spend time together over the holiday weekend, we are excited to provide an opportunity for everyone to enjoy this new day of NFL action.”
The Friday game gives Prime Video 16 regular-season games for the 2023 season, which will air from Weeks 2-17, plus a pre-season exhibition.
Pre-game coverage for the Black Friday game will be “live and onsite within the host stadium.”
Charissa Thompson will host the pre-game show alongside Tony Gonzalez, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Richard Sherman, Andrew Whitworth, Taylor Rooks and Michael Smith.
Al Michaels, Kirk Herbstreit and Kaylee Hartung will cover the game itself.
Amazon Prime Video said the exclusive Black Friday game “marks a further extension of Prime Video’s relationship with the NFL, and offers a free sample of the benefits that come with Prime membership.
“Over the course of 15 games in 2022, Prime Video presented the most streamed NFL contests in history, attracted audiences that were eight years younger than NFL audiences on the linear channels, and regularly topped all competing programming across broadcast and cable,” according to Amazon Prime Video.
"It's such an unusual day because so many people have it off work,” Marine told AP Sports. “So it's really a unique opportunity to expose all fans to our broadcast.”
The NFL's original agreement with Amazon Prime, unveiled as part of a larger series of media distribution deals in March 2021, saw Amazon Prime Video distributing Thursday Night Football starting with the 2023 season, paying $1 billion per year, according to industry analysts.
In May 2021, the NFL said Amazon Prime Video would be the exclusive home of Thursday Night Football beginning with the 2022 season, replacing Fox and NFL Network, in an 11-year deal now put at $1.2 billion per year, also according to industry analysts.
Viewers in the U.S. can watch Thursday Night Football games on Prime Video in 2023 on smart TVs, streaming media players, or set-top boxes by using the Prime Video app, also available on mobile.
Viewers can also stream online on Amazon, and on phones and tablets with NFL+.
Each Thursday Night Football game also streams live on Twitch and is available on over-the-air TV stations in the two home markets of the competing teams, as well as in Spanish language on Prime Video.
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