BT partners with Amazon to bolster sports content

UK telco BT has today (Thursday) signed a carriage partnership with internet company Amazon which will bring the latter’s sports content offered via Prime Video to pay-television service BT TV.

BT has become the first major UK pay-television provider to offer Amazon Prime Video access via a set top box.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but from today BT TV customers will be able to access the Prime Video App. This will allow customers access to every Premier League football match from the 2019-20 season, with customers able to sign-up for Amazon Prime as well as BT Sport and rival pay-television broadcaster Sky Sports via their set-top box.

Earlier this month, Amazon and BT Sport acquired the final set of domestic rights to the Premier League. The rights in the UK and Ireland were for the three seasons spanning 2019-20 to 2021-22, with the fresh UK deals following an initial allocation of rights in February.

Package F, acquired by Amazon Prime Video, comprises 20 matches per season from one Bank Holiday and one midweek fixture programme. Amazon’s package includes the right, for the first time in the UK, to make available a full round of live Premier League matches.

In April, the United States Tennis Association confirmed a five-year deal with Amazon that grants the company exclusive live rights in the UK and Ireland to the US Open grand slam tournament.

The contract, which begins with this year’s US Open and runs through to the 2022 tournament, will bring live and on-demand content at no additional cost to subscribers of the Amazon Prime Video internet video service.