Prime Video to become No. 1 spender on sports in 2026
Prime Video to become No. 1 spender on sports in 2026
New data from Ampere Anaysis shows the global sports streaming outlay will rise to over $14 billion this year.
Live sports are some of the most expensive programming any streaming service can offer. The cost of these events is almost always balanced by the audience they attract, however, which is why streamers are so willing to plunk down billions of dollars per year for them. New data from Ampere Analysis shows how much top streamers are expected to spend on live sports this year, and which services are projected to invest the most.
Key Details:
- New No. 1: Prime Video will overtake DAZN as the top spender on live sports in 2026.
- Continued growth: The overall expenditure on live sports streaming will reach $14.2 billion this year.
- New contender: Paramount+ has entered the top 5 of spenders with its new UFC deal.
Data from Ampere Analysis shows that, for the first time, the international sports streaming service DAZN is set to be overtaken by Prime Video in total sports rights spend. Prime Video will account for 27% of all streaming sports spending in 2026, while DAZN will make up 22% of the pie.
Click chart to expand.
Overall, the outlay on live sports will reach $14.2 billion across top streaming services this year. That’s a 7% increase over the $13.2 billion that was spent on sports streaming rights in 2025, showing that while sports rights may be getting more expensive, distributors are still eager to snap them up.
Amazon is entering its first full year as an NBA partner — Prime Video first began broadcasting regular-season NBA games in the United States in October. The deal runs for 11 seasons total, and will see Amazon pay approximately $1.8 billion annually for a package of regular-season and postseason NBA contests. That major investment will keep it at or near the top of the list of streamers spending the most on live sports for many years to come.
“Since 2018, its first full year with top-tier sports rights, DAZN has been the leading streaming spender on sports,” Ampere analyst Danni Moore said. “However, Amazon’s NBA deal, which began in the 2025–26 season, combined with its existing major rights for NFL ‘Thursday Night Football’ in the U.S. and the UEFA Champions League in Germany, Italy, and the U.K., means it overtakes DAZN’s spending for the first time.”
Paramount+ also agreed to an expensive live sports deal recently. In August, Paramount Skydance agreed to a deal to stream UFC fights for $1.1 billion per year for the next seven years. Ampere’s data shows that the deal has vaulted Paramount+ into the top five of sports streaming spenders.
Prime Video
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 Prime Video Channels. Prime Video also offers exclusive live access to NFL Thursday Night Football.