(Before we start, I would like to mention that "viewership" in this context is compared to PAC being on the Amazon Prime app compared to the new Amazon Sports app.)

I could see this going one of two ways:

Either this decreases viewership and exposure for the PAC because less people will want to pay another subscription fee outside of PAC footprint...

OR

It could actually increase viewership, because the content would be easier to view. Also shows they will be increasing sports coverage and could draw in other fans outside of PAC footprint.

Could this solidify the PAC or will it lead to more defections?

We have used Prime for years. We watch movies and Prime productions regularly.

I can't watch an NFL game on Prime because the signal quality is not watchable.

If they don't improve that, they have no future in any live broadcasting.

While some have applauded the NFL coverage on Prime, I find it unwatchable. I find the idea of a two hour pregame show for a regular season football game boring. Especially when you have a 6-8 team facing a 7-7 squad.

I would never pay to watch any professional sport in person or on television

There are hints that Amazon may split off Prime Video into a separate company.

Which presumably would mean its own subscription service.

And from Amazon's perspective, especially when consider the costs in streaming media, whether the Tolkien series et al, or sports, I think they are looking at maybe they should have an additional line of revenue.

And that is probably not a bad idea for them.

I doubt they will lose a single Amazon Prime subscriber over it.

I've been thinking Amazon should make a play for RSNs, especially with Bally's falling apart. Fans are willing to pay for their local sports team, if Amazon can provide them an option without having to get cable that would be a huge win for both. Fans get to watch their teams for cheaper and Amazon gets dedicated viewers onto their sports platform.

I wonder if the model isn't as a separate subscription from Prime anyone can get, so that they reach a larger audience, rather than a sub group within Prime subscribers as an additional cost. I think this is more likely, with the subscription to the app discounted to Prime users, and Prime discounted to the App subscribers (net same either way) so that it acts as a gateway to Prime.

It doesn't make sense to me to have it as a cost add within Prime. But it does make sense as an access point to gain new subscribers.

We'll see when it comes out.

(12-28-2022 02:10 PM)Claw Wrote:  We have used Prime for years. We watch movies and Prime productions regularly.

I can't watch an NFL game on Prime because the signal quality is not watchable.

If they don't improve that, they have no future in any live broadcasting.

I think this is more what Amazon is trying to address, then adding a subscription fee. Streaming live content is a different operation than streaming a video library.

I would like to have 2 options. An add-free option that you pay extra for. Or an adds-included option at the basic price. Therefore there would be no comercial breaks at the live game itself.

For the adds-included option, the adds would take place during live action and then the broadcast will catch up after the comercial showing all the plays that happened while they were away. Once you catch up, you go back to live action until the next comercial.

So, similar to ESPN+? I love watching games on the app.

(12-28-2022 02:10 PM)Claw Wrote:  We have used Prime for years. We watch movies and Prime productions regularly.

I can't watch an NFL game on Prime because the signal quality is not watchable.

If they don't improve that, they have no future in any live broadcasting.

That's an issue on your end, not with Prime. For me, the NFL broadcast picture quality is way better on Prime than on CBS and FOX, and I've never had any issues with Prime buffering.

The Pac 12's deal with Amazon could be getting more complicated. As Amazon wants to charge extra for live sports.


Link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPBZ5CFzBuo

It makes sense but I feel they'd need to offer more than Thursday NFL games and the PAC 12. If they ended up buying something like DAZN which already offers team sports and boxing things would make sense. Amazon honestly is better off keeping everything combined and if they want to expand maybe have sports being streamed on twitch occasionally or having set twitch official channels per teams or in case of boxing promotions.

What else do they have other than "a few" NFL games? Looking here, not much.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Prime_Video

(12-30-2022 11:15 AM)Bronco14 Wrote:  What else do they have other than "a few" NFL games? Looking here, not much.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Prime_Video

Well, I looked a while ago. They have more local Seattle and Washington content than I'd expected.

Internationally, they have Premier League soccer in England and Champions League in Germany.

They've dipped a toe into RSN content, owning a slice of Yankee Entertainment and Sports and streaming some Yankee games in the NYC area. They sniffed around the Fox Sports Net auction that ended up becoming Diamond Sports Group.

I think Thursday Night Football is their first really big play. I've said upthread, what I think this is is that streaming live content isn't the same thing as streaming from a library (even when it's first-day heavy traffic like HBO's Game of Thrones a few years ago where the app would strain on the first night).

There's a somewhat longer list at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_on_...rime_Video with stuff like WNBA Seattle Storm and Seattle Sounders soccer matches.

And they have the money to go after just about anything that comes on the market.

Literally anything would be an improvement over the current PAC network.

(12-28-2022 02:04 PM)Mean Green Alum Wrote:  

(Before we start, I would like to mention that "viewership" in this context is compared to PAC being on the Amazon Prime app compared to the new Amazon Sports app.)

I could see this going one of two ways:

Either this decreases viewership and exposure for the PAC because less people will want to pay another subscription fee outside of PAC footprint...

OR

It could actually increase viewership, because the content would be easier to view. Also shows they will be increasing sports coverage and could draw in other fans outside of PAC footprint.

Could this solidify the PAC or will it lead to more defections?

Sounds like Amazon will take over the PAC-12 network production facilities and use it to upgrade their production but charge extra for it. Given the issues the PAC-12 had on getting Direct TV could be an issue for them.