NFL will gain new viewers by giving Amazon Prime exclusive Thursday nights

Harrisonburg, Virginia — As Amazon Prime gets ready to broadcast the Dolphins and Bengals Thursday, it hopes to do so minus some of the technical difficulties that created some blurry moments in weeks past. Even with some early snafus, James Madison University business professor Bobby Vaziri says the NFL is positioned to expand its brand by going exclusively online once a week.

“First and foremost, the switch greatly increases accessibility for NFL games to fans that may not have had access or exposure before,” Vaziri said.

Vaziri said it is difficult to project how much of an impact the change will have.

“It will be interesting to observe what happens,” he said. “I surmise that the streaming-resistant viewers will be replaced with casual fans that may not have tuned in before. My best guess is that it all comes out in the wash.”

The NFL was not losing viewers, Vaziri said, but going to streaming only on Thursday nights provides an opportunity to create an even stronger base.

“Keep in mind that the NFL recently signed a media deal for $10 billion per year, starting with the 2023 season. In addition, they pulled in about $4.4 billion in ad revenue in the 2021 season. Perhaps they believe revenue could increase with the addition of streaming services,” Vaziri said.

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