Will Amazon Prime usher in a golden age for all sports in India?

As the cricket craze meets the streaming surge, can India's live sports scene handle Amazon Prime's punch? Only if Amazon Prime decides to deal the punch in 2024. Is Amazon Prime eyeing India's multi-sport boom? We will only know in 2024. If Amazon Prime decides to play a long innings and a big one, will cricket be just the first wicket? Will other sports follow globally, and then in India?

I am thinking about what could change the broadcasting and streaming domain globally, in Asia and India.

I am writing in the backdrop of three big developments in the broadcasting and streaming domain in India and globally. 

1. The Reliance Jio Viacom’s non-binding term sheet with Disney India creates a giant & maybe a monopoly. 
2. The Sony-Zee merger talks progressing where Sony and Zee have extended the deadline by 30 days to complete their merger. 
3. WSJ and Reuters reported news that Amazon is in talks to invest in Diamond Sports. 

If Amazon’s deal with Diamond Sports goes through, it could speed up the streaming service’s push into sports content. In 2024 and 2025, Amazon may win big in terms of marquee sports globally, as the rights come up for negotiations and renewal.

Diamond Sports Group carries games of over 40 sports teams across the US and filed for bankruptcy this year. It is negotiating with Amazon for an investment and a multi-year partnership. If an agreement is reached, Amazon Prime Video will become home for Diamond’s games. 

Diamond, which has the local rights to about half the teams in Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association and about a third of the National Hockey League teams, will continue to operate its cable partnership.

Sports broadcasting is the driver for paid subscriptions across the globe for streaming services. 

Peter Biskind, entertainment journalist and cultural critic, chronicled in previous bestsellers, Hollywood’s groundbreaking New Wave of the 1970s in Easy Riders, Raging Bulls and the Indie cinema movement of the 90s in Down and Dirty Pictures in his book Pandora’s Box. He makes a case that though Netflix was a pioneer that ushered in binge-watching, ad-free TV is facing an existential threat. In a bid to appeal to broader audiences, Netflix is driving away viewers. 

My take from Pandora’s Box is that sports streaming will be a natural way to keep audiences glued, and Amazon Prime and its executives understand this. Hence, they will now embark on conquering the sports frontier.

Andy Jassy tweeted on Dec 5, “Exciting to see fans discovering NFL on Prime. Another record past Thursday for the exciting Seahawks Cowboys clash.”  The NFL Prime Time and Amazon Prime partnership resulted in the most-watched game ever on Prime Video and the most-streamed game in NFL’s history.

Andy Jassy who led Amazon Web Services and is now the CEO of Amazon understands that sports has the pull and glue factor, and major sports partnerships for streaming will make Amazon Prime the home of sports.

BCCI in India is creating more and more cricket, and now women’s cricket. Non-cricket sports are also growing in India. 

India's love affair with cricket is legendary, bordering on religious fervour. But is there such a thing as too much of a good thing? With a packed calendar, featuring ODI and T20 World Cups, followed by the women's and men's IPL auctions, cricket seems omnipresent. Yet, despite the saturation, viewership numbers haven't dipped. In fact, they're soaring.

This begs the question: Is India merely cricket-crazy, or is something bigger brewing? Could this be the dawn of a golden age for all sports in India? After all, the recent Olympic successes, particularly the women's hockey team's heroics, show a burgeoning passion for diverse sporting landscapes. Kabaddi, polo, hockey, and even football have been witnessing increased interest and investment.

The financial windfall for BCCI is undeniable. The IPL and broadcasting rights deals have transformed it into cricket's Santa Claus, with Jio and Viacom leading the charge. Mukesh Ambani, James Murdoch and Uday Shankar are betting big on Indian sports broadcasting, with whispers of a Viacom-Disney-Star merger creating a behemoth entity.

But one big player can stifle competition. BCCI needs a dynamic market to maximize revenue. This is where the Sony-Zee combine and, potentially, Amazon Prime, come in. Amazon's sports broadcasting ventures and its growing Indian subscriber base make it a contender to watch. Amazon could soon be a major bidder for Indian cricket and live sports.

With Jio-Viacom-Disney and Sony-Zee vying for dominance, and Amazon Prime emerging as a dark horse, BCCI is likely to be showered with even more lucrative deals. This, in turn, could fuel the growth of not just cricket, but all sports in India. So, buckle up, sports fans – India's viewership binge is just getting started!