Amazon Prime Gets Exclusive Rights To Broadcast 2023 ‘Black Friday’ NFL Game

The NFL is adding a game on Black Friday, and Amazon Prime has won the right to televise it.

The L.A. Times reports that adding the Black Friday game to Amazon Prime’s package of NFL games indicates the streaming giant’s performance as a media partner.

Amazon is currently in the first year of its exclusive broadcasting deal with the NFL to show Thursday Night Football, which averaged 13.6 million viewers and 15.3 million viewers during its first two weeks of this season.

Black Friday is one of the year’s biggest days for retailers, including Walmart and Target, who typically start sales on Thanksgiving night. Amazon also features a bevy of sales on Black Friday. However, the game will likely promote Black Friday deals and sales for those who don’t do their Christmas shopping early.

“Amazon is uniquely positioned to partner with us for this game as Black Friday is one of the most important days of the year for their business,” said Hans Schroeder, chief operating officer for NFL Media.

Amazon paid more than $1 billion per year for the broadcasting rights to 15 Thursday Night NFL games between 2022 and 2032. Neither the league nor Amazon disclosed the terms concerning the Black Friday game, but according to the New York Times, rumors are swirling that the tech giant paid $50 million.

Traditionally, the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys play home games on Thanksgiving, but in recent years a third game has been added to the slate. The Black Friday game will be next year at 4 p.m. EST. The competing teams are unknown, and the 2023 NFL schedule has not been set.

While streaming is set to be more popular than cable based on the number of viewers by the end of this year, NFL games are routinely the most-watched cable programs. According to Mental Floss, NFL games on Sunday, Monday, and Thursday nights were three of the top 10 most-watched cable TV shows of 2021 and 2022.