Amazon brings in BT Sport for Premier League matchday coverage
Amazon has hired BT Sport to produce its studio and live action matchday coverage for Premier League games next season.
The tech giant last year revealed it had secured exclusive rights to livestream 20 matches per season, which will be available to its Prime customers.
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But the firm today confirmed it will use BT Sport, alongside its football partner Sunset+Vine, to produce its coverage.
Paolo Pescatore, telecoms analyst at PP Foresight, described the move as a “great tie-up for both parties”.
“For Amazon, this is a smart move as it shows a commitment to work more closely with the UK sports broadcasting market,” he said, adding it was a “strong endorsement” for BT Sport’s capabilities.
The deal comes amid growing speculation over the future of sports broadcasting, with experts eyeing up a shift to streaming over the coming years.
The Premier League has reportedly looked into setting up its own Netflix-style streaming service in a move that would bypass both traditional broadcasters and on-demand services such as Amazon.
Amazon’s Premier League coverage will comprise two full fixture rounds – the first December midweek round and the Boxing Day round – and will feature live coverage of every team.
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The tech giant will be adding the football league to its growing range of live sports, including the ATP World Tour and NFL games.
But Amazon will be hoping to avoid a repeat of its US Open coverage last year, which came under fire for its poor picture quality and inability to record.