Amazon has won the rights to broadcast 10 National Football League Thursday night games live online this season, as part of its video content strategy exclusive to Prime subscription members.

The company paid $50 million for the one-year deal, according to Bloomberg, taking over from a similar agreement Twitter had last year that saw the social media service sprout an Apple TV app for users to watch the games free of charge. Amazon has made Prime Video apps available for iPhone and iPad, but has yet to offer one for Apple TV.

usa today 9862352

Image via Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports

The games will continue to be broadcast on TV by CBS, NBC, and the NFL Network. The short-term deals reflect the football league's strategy up until 2021, when the traditional broadcast deals start to expire. After that, NFL will reportedly treat tech companies as potential suitors alongside regular television networks.

Amazon offers original movies and shows as part of its Prime Video service. Early last year, the company began offering Prime Video as a standalone $8.99 monthly subscription deal with an option to cancel at any time, as an alternative for those who don't want to sign up to the all-in $99 Amazon Prime annual subscription.

Top Rated Comments

Beezer70 Avatar
92 months ago
You know you can Airplay it to the Apple TV right? You can't use the iPhone/iPad at the same time for anything else if you do but it works quite well.
But then you get a phone call in the middle of the game and it cuts off the video stream. Yeah, just give me an app for the Apple TV already.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Keane16 Avatar
92 months ago
Makes me want that Prime app for the Apple TV even more.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
countryside Avatar
92 months ago
So Apple users can stream NFL games on their 6" iPhone... But we will not be able to use our Apple TV.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Chupa Chupa Avatar
92 months ago
I'm going to say it -- Apple should have jumped on this rather than concerning itself with a lame reality show about apps staring Gwenth Paltrow. Personally I think they should have bid hard for Sunday Ticket. That would have made ATV a must have and there would have been a mad rush for them.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
willmtaylor Avatar
92 months ago
I'm glad I don't waste my money on Prime :).
Interesting that you think it's a waste. Do you not use Amazon?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Chupa Chupa Avatar
92 months ago
You know you can Airplay it to the Apple TV right? You can't use the iPhone/iPad at the same time for anything else if you do but it works quite well.
You can but it's really just a band-aid compared to having it play direct from ATV. Airplay resolution is diminished compared to native ATV.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Delta Feature

Delta Game Emulator Now Available From App Store on iPhone

Wednesday April 17, 2024 9:58 am PDT by
Game emulator apps have come and gone since Apple announced App Store support for them on April 5, but now popular game emulator Delta from developer Riley Testut is available for download. Testut is known as the developer behind GBA4iOS, an open-source emulator that was available for a brief time more than a decade ago. GBA4iOS led to Delta, an emulator that has been available outside of...
iPhone 15 Pro Action Button Translate

All iPhone 16 Models to Feature Action Button, But Usefulness Debated

Tuesday April 16, 2024 6:54 am PDT by
Last September, Apple's iPhone 15 Pro models debuted with a new customizable Action button, offering faster access to a handful of functions, as well as the ability to assign Shortcuts. Apple is poised to include the feature on all upcoming iPhone 16 models, so we asked iPhone 15 Pro users what their experience has been with the additional button so far. The Action button replaces the switch ...
Provenance Emulator

PlayStation, GameCube, Wii, and SEGA Emulator for iPhone and Apple TV Coming to App Store

Friday April 19, 2024 8:29 am PDT by
The lead developer of the multi-emulator app Provenance has told iMore that his team is working towards releasing the app on the App Store, but he did not provide a timeframe. Provenance is a frontend for many existing emulators, and it would allow iPhone and Apple TV users to emulate games released for a wide variety of classic game consoles, including the original PlayStation, GameCube, Wii,...
maxresdefault

Hands-On With the New App Store Delta Game Emulator

Wednesday April 17, 2024 12:19 pm PDT by
A decade ago, developer Riley Testut released the GBA4iOS emulator for iOS, and since it was against the rules at the time, Apple put a stop to downloads. Emulators have been a violation of the App Store rules for years, but that changed on April 5 when Apple suddenly reversed course and said that it was allowing retro game emulators on the App Store. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel ...
iOS NES Emulator Bimmy Feature

NES Emulator for iPhone and iPad Now Available on App Store [Removed]

Tuesday April 16, 2024 11:33 am PDT by
The first approved Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) emulator for the iPhone and iPad was made available on the App Store today following Apple's rule change. The emulator is called Bimmy, and it was developed by Tom Salvo. On the App Store, Bimmy is described as a tool for testing and playing public domain/"homebrew" games created for the NES, but the app allows you to load ROMs for any...