> Amazon is in talks to become a major player in regional sports broadcasting for the NBA, MLB and NHL — with a surprise deal that could shake up the way fans have watched their local teams for decades, The Post has learned.
> The Seattle-based e-tailing giant headed by Jeff Bezos is in late-stage talks for a contract to livestream on Amazon Prime this coming season all the Bally Sports broadcasts of 13 NBA franchises, as well as five MLB teams and nine NHL teams, sources close to the situation said.
> With the new streaming service — which could launch next month with the start of the NHL and NBA seasons — sources said fans will pay about $20 a month for access to their home team’s local games through Prime.
> Crucially, fans with the Amazon Prime service would no longer need a cable subscription to watch local games.
> That could further accelerate cord cutting, sources noted, although Bally will continue to broadcast the games across cable networks nationwide.
> Chatter has circulated for months about a deal between Amazon and Diamond Sports, the bankrupt company that owns the Ballys brand, the nation’s largest regional sports network.
> Last month, Amazon reportedly pulled out of an agreement to invest $115 million in Diamond, leaving it unclear whether Amazon was ending all talks.
To save people a click….also not sure if you will have access if you already own Prime or if you will have to pay $20/mo in addition? It doesn’t seem clear to me.
hawkcanwhat
As a Wings fan who doesn’t live in Michigan but is somehow still in the Detroit TV market, I’ll take this over giving any money directly to Bally.
socrates1975
Would this work in canada as well?
JDSchu
Would be nice if it was available without Prime, but I won’t hold my breath. 😂
InevitablePosition92
$20 is totally worth it now I just need people to watch with me!
Unstep-in-Time
Are the Wings, Tigers, and Pistons part of this?
dkyguy1995
Bally was just so poorly managed from day 1
magikarp-sushi
If Amazon wasn’t gonna do it, Apple probably would.
Enough-Ad-3111
Bye bye Bally Sports+.
No one will miss your awful streaming service.
JTAKER
I feel like the last bit of news I heard on this was the deal being dropped completely, and now this. I just want to stop being jerked around and definitively know who I have to give all my fucking money to just to watch my local sports team.
JohnWad
Why not just give it the Amazon Prime members for fucking free and not charge them another $20? Or am I reading this wrong?
DDS-PBS
Same major problem as Bally I’m not paying $20 a month for Wings games.
Skoalmintpouches
So do we know how this would effect watching the wings on espn+ ?
OctoWings13
I would be interested if it was NHL and NFL
I don’t care at all about NBA or MLB
haight1500
Cool, 3 days after canceling my Prime account because I never used it…
despisedicon689
IMO Prime is becoming overpriced as it is. I know $20 isn’t much, but when you pay for a subscription it should be all inclusive.
MacPh1sto
Same in Europe?
Ok_Range_63
VPN and ESPN+ still has it for me.
SauceHankRedemption
Will it be streaming the Bally feed then I take it?
Goblue2773
So theres zero difference from ballys. Got it
Calamitous_Waffle
Take my money please. Just make it fucking easy, or I’m sailing the high seas.
SikkWithIt
Honestly, I sail the high seas now. If there was an application that allowed me to watch hockey games live in full HD, especially Wings games, from South Western Ontario, I’d shell out $20 a month on top of my prime membership.
Paying for live game streams right now are all over the place it seems. Pretty sure there are some we can’t even buy in Canada…
Guess we will see what comes of this and where I go. If anything, I can always grab my rum and sail on. Yo-ho! 🏴☠️
el_Technico
They already have this in Canada. You have to pay Sportsnet an additional 20 bucks or something per month for the service.
Ph1llyth3gr8
Anything that keeps me from needing a cable subscription and giving money to Sinclair is a win.
Gone213
I wonder if they’d stream these on twitch for free like they do with Thursday night football.
25 Comments
> Amazon is in talks to become a major player in regional sports broadcasting for the NBA, MLB and NHL — with a surprise deal that could shake up the way fans have watched their local teams for decades, The Post has learned.
> The Seattle-based e-tailing giant headed by Jeff Bezos is in late-stage talks for a contract to livestream on Amazon Prime this coming season all the Bally Sports broadcasts of 13 NBA franchises, as well as five MLB teams and nine NHL teams, sources close to the situation said.
> With the new streaming service — which could launch next month with the start of the NHL and NBA seasons — sources said fans will pay about $20 a month for access to their home team’s local games through Prime.
> Crucially, fans with the Amazon Prime service would no longer need a cable subscription to watch local games.
> That could further accelerate cord cutting, sources noted, although Bally will continue to broadcast the games across cable networks nationwide.
> Chatter has circulated for months about a deal between Amazon and Diamond Sports, the bankrupt company that owns the Ballys brand, the nation’s largest regional sports network.
> Last month, Amazon reportedly pulled out of an agreement to invest $115 million in Diamond, leaving it unclear whether Amazon was ending all talks.
To save people a click….also not sure if you will have access if you already own Prime or if you will have to pay $20/mo in addition? It doesn’t seem clear to me.
As a Wings fan who doesn’t live in Michigan but is somehow still in the Detroit TV market, I’ll take this over giving any money directly to Bally.
Would this work in canada as well?
Would be nice if it was available without Prime, but I won’t hold my breath. 😂
$20 is totally worth it now I just need people to watch with me!
Are the Wings, Tigers, and Pistons part of this?
Bally was just so poorly managed from day 1
If Amazon wasn’t gonna do it, Apple probably would.
Bye bye Bally Sports+.
No one will miss your awful streaming service.
I feel like the last bit of news I heard on this was the deal being dropped completely, and now this. I just want to stop being jerked around and definitively know who I have to give all my fucking money to just to watch my local sports team.
Why not just give it the Amazon Prime members for fucking free and not charge them another $20? Or am I reading this wrong?
Same major problem as Bally I’m not paying $20 a month for Wings games.
So do we know how this would effect watching the wings on espn+ ?
I would be interested if it was NHL and NFL
I don’t care at all about NBA or MLB
Cool, 3 days after canceling my Prime account because I never used it…
IMO Prime is becoming overpriced as it is. I know $20 isn’t much, but when you pay for a subscription it should be all inclusive.
Same in Europe?
VPN and ESPN+ still has it for me.
Will it be streaming the Bally feed then I take it?
So theres zero difference from ballys. Got it
Take my money please. Just make it fucking easy, or I’m sailing the high seas.
Honestly, I sail the high seas now. If there was an application that allowed me to watch hockey games live in full HD, especially Wings games, from South Western Ontario, I’d shell out $20 a month on top of my prime membership.
Paying for live game streams right now are all over the place it seems. Pretty sure there are some we can’t even buy in Canada…
Guess we will see what comes of this and where I go. If anything, I can always grab my rum and sail on. Yo-ho! 🏴☠️
They already have this in Canada. You have to pay Sportsnet an additional 20 bucks or something per month for the service.
Anything that keeps me from needing a cable subscription and giving money to Sinclair is a win.
I wonder if they’d stream these on twitch for free like they do with Thursday night football.