Amazon Prime Video, Twitch Set NFL Coverage Plans In Christmas-Week Blitz Leading Up To Exclusive Game Stream

Dade Hayes
·3 min read
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Amazon has set broadcast crews and other programming on Prime Video and Twitch for what it is billing as a week-long “NFL Holiday Blitz.”

The spree of football starts today and runs through Saturday’s exclusive stream of the San Francisco 49ers-Arizona Cardinals game, which will mark a milestone for Amazon. The company has steadily ramped up its sports offerings in recent years, part of an effort by several major tech firms to leverage the tune-in potency of live game coverage.

On Christmas Day, Prime Video and Twitch (the gaming-centric streaming platform Amazon acquired in 2014) will offer streams of the Minnesota Vikings-New Orleans Saints game. That complementary stream will follow the season’s Thursday night pattern, with Fox and the NFL Network airing the game on linear TV.

Hannah Storm, Andrea Kremer, Bucky Brooks, Daniel Jeremiah, and Joy Taylor will call both matchups on Prime Video. Andrew Hawkins, Cari Champion, Von Miller, Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson and Chris Long will handle the livestreams on Twitch. Andrew Catalon, James Lofton and Sherree Burruss are slated to be the default broadcast crew of the 49ers-Cardinals game on Prime Video.

Alternate audio feeds featuring either Storm and Kremer or Brooks, Jeremiah and Taylor will be available for both games on Prime Video. Viewers can select their preferred audio feed via the “settings” menu option on their connected device. Champion, Johnson and Miller will livestream the Christmas special on Twitch, and Hawkins, Champion and Long will handle Saturday’s game on Twitch.

Leading up to the Saturday exclusive, Amazon has slated a week of original NFL-themed programming airing across Prime Video, Twitch, and on social media. Shows will feature analysts, NFL alums and pop culture figures like Action Bronson, Andrew Hawkins, Brandon Aiyuk, Dan Gamache, James Koh, Kay Adams, Kenyan Drake, Kickasso, Kyle Long, Quavo, Ron Everline (JustTrain) and Victor Cruz. Game broadcasters Champion, Johnson and Long will also appear.

Saturday’s 49ers-Cardinals game will be available to more than 150 million paid Prime members worldwide, and in more than 240 countries and territories excluding China, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Spain. The game will also be televised in both teams’ home markets on NBC affiliate KNTV in San Francisco and FOX affiliate KSAZ in Arizona. It will be available to stream on mobile through the NFL, 49ers, Cardinals, and Yahoo Sports mobile properties.

“We hope Prime members around the world are gearing up for a safe and happy holiday season, and we are looking forward to delivering the gift of football on Prime Video this weekend,” said Marie Donoghue, VP of Global Sports Video at Amazon. “With multiple announcers to choose from, Next Gen Stats, and on-demand replays from X-Ray, the NFL on Prime Video has a little something for everyone, giving fans more optionality and deeper insights into the action on the field. We can’t wait for kickoff.”

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