Amazon will air an NFL playoff game next January, an individual with knowledge of the situation told TheWrap.
Amazon, which streams “Thursday Night Football,” will simulcast one of the new Wildcard round games on Jan. 10 as part of the league’s expanded playoffs this year. NBC and CBS each got an extra NFL playoff game and will stream it on their company-owned streaming services along with the broadcast networks.
Amazon will get the game produced by CBS, which will also stream on CBS All Access (soon-to-be Paramount+), as well as get a separately-produced broadcast on Nickelodeon. The AFC matchup is currently scheduled for the late-afternoon window on Sunday, Jan. 10 at 4:40 p.m. ET.
Amazon declined to comment. The story was first reported by the WSJ. CBS is paying around $70 million for its extra playoff game; it is not known how much Amazon paid.
Amazon in its fourth season of streaming “Thursday Night Football” and will carry an exclusive game later this season (it will air still air on local TV in the participating teams’ home markets). The NFL is in the middle of negotiating its next round of TV rights, which all expire in 2022; ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” expires in 2021.
Wild Card Weekend for the 2020 season will consist of three games on Saturday, January 9, and three games on Sunday, January 10, 2021. The new expanded format will see 14 teams qualify for the postseason, up from the previous 12 teams. Only the top seed in each conference will get a bye to the Divisional Round.