Breaking: Prime Video to Present First-Ever Black Friday NFL Game for Free in 2023
Prime Video wants to make sure as many NFL fans as possible are able to tune in for the first Black Friday game in league history. Amazon has announced it will stream the game live for free to all, whether they are Prime Video subscribers or not.
The teams for the game have yet to be determined, but a date and time have already been set: Friday, Nov. 24 at 3 p.m. ET. Charissa Thompson will host the pregame show alongside Tony Gonzalez, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Richard Sherman, Andrew Whitworth, Taylor Rooks, and Michael Smith. When game coverage commences, Al Michaels, Kirk Herbstreit, and Kaylee Hartung will cover the on-field action.
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. The service took over as the exclusive home of “Thursday Night Football” in 2022, and over the course of 15 games, presented the most streamed NFL contests in history, attracting audiences that were eight years younger than NFL audiences on the linear channels, and regularly topped all competing programming across broadcast and cable.
It wasn’t all touchdowns and two-point conversions for “TNF” on Prime Video in 2022, however. Although ratings started out well for “TNF” streams, they declined steadily throughout the season, and by its end, Amazon saw a 41% decline in average viewers per game from 2021’s numbers. That was the last year that Thursday games were broadcast on FOX and the NFL Network as well as being available to stream on Prime Video.
The offering of the NFL’s first Black Friday game for free should certainly help those ratings improve in 2023. “TNF” also drove higher engagements for shows on Prime Video in 2022, so the deal has been undoubtedly beneficial for Amazon, despite not driving audience numbers comparable to when the games were also available nationally on linear TV.
“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,” said Jay Marine, vice president of Prime Video and global head of Sports. “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.”
Viewers in the U.S. can watch “Thursday Night Football” games on Prime Video in 2023 in their living rooms on smart televisions, 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 “TNF” 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 on Prime Video.
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 10,000+ movies, TV shows, and Prime Originals like “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” “Jack Ryan,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “The Boys,” and more. Subscribers can also add third-party services like Max, Showtime, STARZ, and dozens more with Amazon Prime Video Channels. Prime Video also offers exclusive live access to NFL Thursday Night Football.