Amazon Prime Video enters live sports streaming arena in India

The OTT vertical of the tech giant will compete with Disney+ Hotstar and Sony Liv in India for sports broadcasting

Published: Nov 10, 2020 08:59:30 AM IST

Updated: Nov 10, 2020 09:45:59 AM IST

Virat Kohli of India and Kane Williamson of New Zealand shake hands during the Semi-Final match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 between India and New Zealand at Old Trafford on July 09, 2019 in Manchester, England.
Image: Stu Forster-ICC/ICC via Getty Images

Amazon Prime Video India announced a foray into the live sports segment, in India, on November 10. To start with, the service has bagged rights for all New Zealand cricket until the end of the 2025-2026 season, including when India tours New Zealand in early 2022.

The deal covers all international cricket matches that will be played in New Zealand, across formats—ODI, T20 and Test matches—for both men's and women's cricket, starting from 2021.

It will compete with Star India, which has a five-year contract with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI); and Sony Pictures Network, which struck a deal with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Cricket Australia (CA). Amazon Prime Video is now the first Indian streaming service in India to secure exclusive live cricket rights from the New Zealand Cricket Board.

“We are excited to add India’s most loved game—cricket—to our content selection for our Prime Video customers, and thrilled to work with New Zealand Cricket (NZC) on this endeavor. They have a strong, passionate and much-loved cricket team, and the cricketing rivalry between the two countries has been fantastic," says Gaurav Gandhi, director and country general manager, Amazon Prime Video, in a press release.

While the India segment of the streaming service has only recently made its entry into live sports, globally, Prime Video's line-up includes Thursday Night Football, the Premier League, ATP Tour Events, WTA, the US Open (tennis), UEFA Champions League, Autumn Nations Cup (rugby), and the Seattle Sounders FC.

“One of NZC’s key goals is to extend our teams’ global reach and to build closer relationships around the world. In terms of that particular objective, we don’t think we could be in better hands. India has always been important for viewership of NZC; no other country follows cricket like India," says David White, chief executive, New Zealand Cricket.