Amazon Prime Video Confirms Massive Global Budget Expansion for Live Sports Broadcasting Rights
Amazon Prime Video is accelerating its transformation into a major global sports broadcasting platform, expanding investment in live sports rights and regional programming as competition across the streaming industry intensifies.
As of September 2, 2026, Prime Video’s strategy has become increasingly clear: live sports are moving to the center of Amazon’s global streaming business. The company is expanding its portfolio across basketball, football, hockey, soccer, motorsports and other premium sporting events while investing heavily in international markets.
One of Amazon’s largest recently announced commitments is in Latin America. Prime Video plans to invest more than $2 billion between 2027 and 2030 across Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia and Chile. The investment will cover original programming, locally produced and acquired entertainment, and live sports rights.
The expansion comes as sports audiences on Prime Video continue to grow rapidly. More than 20 million households across Latin America have already watched sports on Prime Video during 2026, surpassing the platform’s total for all of 2025.
NBA Becomes a Cornerstone of Prime Video’s Global Strategy
Basketball represents one of Amazon’s most important long-term sports investments.
Prime Video is operating under an 11-year global media agreement with the NBA, with coverage extending through the 2035–36 season. Amazon’s package includes regular-season games, NBA Cup coverage, Play-In Tournament games and significant playoff programming.
Prime Video has also expanded NBA coverage in markets including Brazil and Mexico, where viewers can access more than 200 games per season.
The agreement gives Amazon something particularly valuable in the streaming industry: premium sports programming capable of attracting audiences consistently for more than a decade.
Amazon Expands Further Into NHL Broadcasting
Amazon’s sports expansion took another significant step on September 2.
Prime Video and the NHL announced a multiyear agreement making Prime Video the exclusive local streaming home for six NHL teams beginning with the 2026–27 season.
The participating teams are the Carolina Hurricanes, Anaheim Ducks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues.
Fans within those teams’ regional territories will be able to watch regular-season games along with pregame, postgame and additional team programming through Prime Video.
The agreement strengthens Amazon’s existing relationship with the NHL and demonstrates how the company is moving beyond national broadcasting packages into regional sports distribution.
A Sports Portfolio Built for Year-Round Viewing
Amazon is no longer dependent on a single major sports property.
Prime Video’s 2026 sports portfolio includes NFL Thursday Night Football, NBA, WNBA, NASCAR and NWSL programming, alongside additional international rights involving competitions such as the UEFA Champions League and other regional sports packages.
Thursday Night Football has been particularly important. Amazon reported that its 2025–26 season averaged more than 15 million viewers, representing approximately 16% year-over-year growth. A Packers-Bears Wild Card game also attracted more than 31 million viewers, setting a major streaming milestone.
The combination of football, basketball, hockey, soccer and motorsports gives Prime Video premium live programming across much of the calendar.
Why Amazon Is Spending More on Live Sports
Sports provide something increasingly difficult for streaming companies to reproduce: large audiences watching the same content at the same time.
That creates opportunities beyond subscription growth.
Live games can strengthen Prime membership, increase viewer engagement and generate valuable advertising inventory. Amazon has said advertising inventory across Thursday Night Football, NBA, WNBA and NASCAR programming sold out, highlighting strong advertiser demand surrounding premium sports.
This creates a broader ecosystem in which streaming subscriptions, advertising, commerce and sports programming reinforce one another.
Prime Video’s Global Sports Ambition Is Becoming Clear
Amazon’s latest investments indicate that Prime Video is evolving from a general entertainment streaming service into a global destination for premium live sports.
The strategy combines long-term international rights, regional broadcasting agreements and major investments in rapidly growing markets.
With billions of dollars committed to future programming, an 11-year NBA partnership, expanding NHL coverage and established NFL rights, Amazon is building a sports portfolio designed for long-term growth.
The next phase of the streaming competition may therefore be determined not only by movies and television series, but by who controls the live events viewers consider impossible to miss.
For Prime Video, live sports are increasingly becoming one of the most powerful tools for attracting audiences, advertisers and long-term subscribers around the world.
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