Key Points
- Amazon Prime Video could have two hours of unique Masters golf event coverage, from 1-3 p.m. ET, on Thursday and Friday.
- Amazon won’t have any tie-ins with its e-commerce enterprise throughout the broadcast. Rather, it would adhere by the Masters’ strict broadcasting guidelines.
- Amazon is simply the fourth media partner in Masters historical past, becoming a member of CBS, USA Network and ESPN.
A model of this text first appeared within the CNBC Sport e-newsletter with Alex Sherman, which brings you the largest information and unique interviews from the worlds of sports activities enterprise and media. Sign as much as obtain future editions, straight to your inbox. The sporting world’s consideration turns to Augusta, Georgia, on Thursday with Round 1 of the Masters golf event. For the primary time, viewers can discover stay coverage of the event on Amazon Prime Video. Amazon has unique stay coverage of the occasion from 1-3 p.m. ET on Thursday and Friday throughout Rounds 1 and a couple of. For all 4 days of the event, Prime Video will produce stay coverage of Amen Corner, the famed eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth holes at Augusta. Amazon’s “Inside Amen Corner” will characteristic superior stats and bespoke digital camera angles designed to offer the viewer a have a look at how totally different gamers assault the three holes strategically. The streamer will even have coverage of the fifteenth and sixteenth holes for all 4 days and showcase sure featured teams, although it won’t produce that content material. Amazon is the fourth-ever media partner for Augusta National, following Paramount’s CBS; Versant -owned USA Network, from 1982 by means of 2007; and Disney’s ESPN. Last 12 months, the Masters, which is led by Chairman Fred Ridley, introduced Paramount+ into the fold with two hours of unique streaming coverage on Saturday and Sunday from midday till 2 p.m. ET. That will even carry over into this 12 months. The worth of proudly owning a slice of Masters rights for Amazon will not be as simple as for different sports activities properties. Typically, sports activities serve a number of functions for Amazon. They add worth to Amazon Prime, and so they hook up with Amazon’s e-commerce enterprise, which incorporates sports activities attire and merchandise. They additionally herald larger promoting charges, since — not like most different programming on Prime Video or peer streaming companies — sports activities are watched stay. It’s attainable the Masters will deliver some new subscribers to Prime Video, however the true worth for Amazon is the halo impact. Owning even just a few hours of unique Masters coverage lifts the worth of Prime Video’s whole sports activities portfolio. On the e-commerce entrance, the Masters is about as anti-commercial as any sporting occasion in historical past. Commercials throughout the broadcast, that are restricted to about 4 minutes per hour, are solely from the Masters’ official sponsors — IBM , AT & T, Bank of America and Mercedes-Benz . Amazon will not be injecting something into the streaming broadcast to spotlight its e-commerce enterprise, an individual accustomed to the matter advised CNBC. To do enterprise with Augusta National, Amazon has to play by the membership’s guidelines. Part of that settlement contains assurances from Amazon that coverage of the printed would keep that pristine, conventional picture, mentioned the particular person, who requested to not be named as a result of the discussions had been personal. “We look forward to a long relationship with Prime Video,” Ridley mentioned Wednesday throughout his annual Masters press convention. “We do need to be looking at nontraditional ways to be promoting the tournament but more so promoting golf.” Ridley acknowledged a “tension” between respecting custom and innovating and mentioned Augusta wrestles with it every year. He cited the membership’s resolution to have YouTube creators Dude Perfect play frisbee at Amen Corner in 2022 as an instance of Augusta’s willingness to strive various things to achieve new audiences. “In retrospect, I like those guys, but that may not have been the best idea,” mentioned Ridley. “But thematically, we’re certainly willing to look outside the box every once in a while.” Amazon’s main coverage on Days 1 and a couple of will look similar to that of ESPN and CBS. “They’re clearly optimizing for the right fan experience, what they think is the right broadcast experience, to build something incredibly valuable for the long term,” Prime Video’s head of sports activities Jay Marine advised The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand final 12 months after Amazon introduced its Masters deal. Still, it is clear the Masters needs streaming companions as a part of the viewing expertise. And for Amazon’s half, it would get knowledge on how golf performs on the service. Amazon dipped its toe into golf on Black Friday with a Skins Game that includes Keegan Bradley, Xander Schauffele, Tommy Fleetwood and Shane Lowry. Given Amazon’s seemingly unfettered want for main sports activities properties, Prime Video will possible be out there for extra golf — if its streaming viewers responds. Disclosure: CNBC and USA Network are divisions of Versant Media.
