Amazon is growing a standalone app for watching sports activities, in line with a brand new report from The Info. The transfer alerts Amazon’s continued push towards investing in Prime Video and stay sports activities content material. If launched, the standalone app would higher spotlight Amazon’s sports activities content material, which is presently included within the firm’s primary Prime Video platform.
The report comes as Amazon CEO Andy Jassy not too long ago known as stay sports activities “a singular asset” that Amazon will proceed to put money into. Amazon’s present stay sports activities choices embody unique rights to the NFL’s Thursday Evening Soccer, together with some Premier League soccer matches and Yankees baseball video games. Amazon has additionally invested in different sports activities content material to enhance the stay video games, as the corporate launched authentic sports activities discuss reveals on each Prime Video and its ad-supported streaming service Freevee.
It’s unknown when Amazon plans to launch the standalone sports activities app. It’s additionally potential that the corporate could determine to shelve the plans altogether.
Amazon didn’t reply to TechCrunch’s request for remark.
Amazon’s plans for a standalone sports activities app counsel that the corporate is exploring new methods to faucet its stay sports activities investments into extra income streams. Contemplating the steep prices of streaming rights, it wouldn’t be shocking if the corporate plans to cost a separate subscription price for sports activities content material with this standalone app. It’s additionally potential that Amazon could determine to supply a separate subscription tier that features its sports activities content material.
The brand new report comes as Amazon has been reviewing components of its unprofitable divisions, which led to the elimination of quite a few roles. Even amid these cost-cutting efforts, Amazon seems to be dedicated to constructing out Prime Video and its stay sports activities streaming content material.
Amazon isn’t the one main firm seeking to proceed investing in stay sports activities content material, as the corporate faces rising competitors from different tech giants who’ve additionally inked sports activities streaming offers. Final week, Google’s YouTube secured the NFL Sunday Ticket in a landmark streaming deal. However, Apple has gained the rights to Main League Baseball and Main League Soccer video games.
