LeBron James, Jalen Ramsey, Dez Bryant on Prime Video’s ‘The Shop’ Alternative ‘Thursday Night Football’ Broadcast
LeBron James is coming to “Thursday Night Football” on Prime Video, and he won’t be alone. “TNF in the Shop,” the new alternative stream of “TNF” games featuring James and co-host Maverick Carter, will debut tonight as the Tennessee Titans take on the Green Bay Packers.
Related: How to Watch 'Thursday Night Football, The Shop: Uninterrupted' Live Without Cable
Joining Carter and James to break down the game will be a mix of NFL stars and celebrities. Los Angeles Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey and former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant will make appearances, as will award-winning actor, singer, and comedian Jamie Foxx and actor and producer Rob Lowe.
The new “TNF in the Shop” alternate stream was first announced earlier this month and will maintain the format from “The Shop: Uninterrupted,” in which James and Carter interview celebrities from the sports, entertainment, music, and political worlds. The discussions are candid and delve deeply into a myriad of topics.
Prime Video became the exclusive home of “TNF” for the first time in the 2022 season. The service has offered several alternative broadcasts already this season, including one with viral internet trick-shot artists Dude Perfect, and one hosted by Hannah Storm and Andrea Kremer.
Amazon has been doing whatever it can to raise the profile of “TNF” now that it has gone streaming-only. Just before the start of the season, Prime Video announced a deal with DraftKings to provide “TNF”-themed promotions and wagers, including same-game parlays and even more sports betting content to “TNF” viewers.
Despite these efforts, “TNF” is struggling to reach the ratings it saw last year when it was available on Prime Video, FOX and the NFL Network. In the 2021 season, 16.4 million people per week on average tuned in to those broadcasts, but this season the total is somewhere between 10-12 million so far.
Prime Video is hoping that new alternative streams like “TNF in the Shop” will help boost the popularity of its “TNF” streams. They likely won’t reach the popularity of ESPN’s “ManningCast” alternate “Monday Night Football” streams any time soon, but Prime Video will keep on trying.
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.