Amazon’s momentum in sports broadcasting expansion continues, clinching a four-year regional deal between Prime Video and Wimbledon.
The media rights arrangement has made Amazon Prime the exclusive broadcaster of the men’s and women’s tennis tournament, widely regarded as the most prestigious grand slam in the sport, in Germany and Austria.
The e-commerce giant’s streaming platform has unseated Sky Sports as rights holder to Wimbledon in the two markets, and will cover the tournament from 2024 to 2027.
Paul Davies, Head of Broadcast, Production & Media Rights at the All England Club, said: “We are very excited to be entering a new four-year partnership with Prime Video for Wimbledon in Germany and Austria.
“Prime Video has already demonstrated, including in tennis, how effectively they can deliver major sporting events in important global markets.
“Wimbledon and Germany have a rich heritage and we are excited to see, with Prime’s impressive household penetration, allied with their ambitious on-site production plans, how The Championships can be elevated in what we consider to be one of our major European territories.”
Amazon Prime has been building up a heavy presence in sports over recent years, having initially entered the space via sports documentary series, such as the popular ‘All or Nothing’.
The firm would later directly enter live sports broadcasting, with a particularly visible presence in football by covering select Premier League fixtures and as a UK broadcaster of La Liga – although the Premier League’s latest media rights arrangement did not include the company.
However, Amazon has been significantly diversifying its sports portfolio across a range of geographies. For example, recent months saw the company secure exclusive rights to International Cricket Council (ICC) fixtures in Australia, and now Wimbledon rights in Germany and Austria.
Alex Green, Managing Director at Prime Video Sport, Europe, commented: “Wimbledon is the oldest tournament in tennis and one of the most prestigious events in all of sport, with a long history of success for German players.
“We are proud to be able to deliver exclusive coverage of The Championships to all Prime members at no extra cost to their membership, in addition to exclusive coverage of the UEFA Champions League in Germany and our expanding slate of Original sports documentaries.”
