Amazon nabs US Open broadcast rights for UK & Ireland
LOS ANGELES, April 19, (RTRS): Amazon has hoovered up exclusive livestreaming rights to the US Open Tennis Championships for Prime customers in the UK and Ireland in a five-year pact — another move forward in the tech giant’s encroachment on TV sports.
The United States Tennis Asssn entered into a deal granting Amazon Prime Video exclusive live telecast rights to the US Open in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. The five-year agreement begins with the 2018 US Open, one of the four Grand Slam pro tennis tournaments. In addition to the live match play, Prime Video members in the UK and Ireland will also have access to on-demand highlights and other content — all for no additional cost.
In the United States, ESPN is the major rights holder for the US Open Tennis Championships.
The announcement comes after Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos revealed that the ecommerce giant now has more than 100 million Prime members worldwide. It’s the first time Amazon has provided a specific figure, but the company isn’t breaking down that customer base by country.
“Prime Video is focused on bringing customers a great selection of highquality entertainment across drama, comedy, documentaries, live sports and more,” Jay Marine, VP of Prime Video Europe, said in a statement. “We are delighted to now offer Prime members US Open tennis at no extra cost to their membership, right alongside their favorite shows and movies.”
Prime members in the UK and Ireland will be able to watch US Open content across more than 600 devices on the Prime Video app for connected TVs, video-game consoles, set-top boxes and other devices, including Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV, mobile devices and the web.
The 2018 US Open — the tournament’s 50th anniversary — is set to run Aug 27-Sept 9 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York.
This year will be the inaugural season of the new Louis Armstrong Stadium, a 14,000-seat facility that’s part of the USTA’s $600 million capital-improvement plan.