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sports Saturday 14 May 2022
Analysis: Amazon Prime Video gets solid 1st slate from NFL

By JOE REEDY have received in past years
AP Sports Writer when they had the Thurs-
A defensive coordinator try- day night package."Do
ing to put together a game you want the big brands
plan to stop Justin Herbert against each other and
or Patrick Mahomes has create a couple of A vs. A
an easier task than the NFL games, knowing that might
trying to put together the bring with it a couple of B vs.
schedule for Thursday night B games, or do you want a
football. steady diet of A-minus and
There's trying to put togeth- B-plus games?
er intriguing matchups, I think we tried to kind of
only four teams can play find that balance this year,
multiple Thursday games, not dissimilar from how we
and there are the consid- would have done it in the
erations of who and where past, North said. "Putting
teams are playing the the good games up ear-
week before because of ly in the season like that,
the short turnaround. hopefully, it's going to help
Add into it a new television change fan behavior and
partner paying $1.2 billion find their way to Amazon
a season to carry those Prime."
games for 11 years, and Donoghue and Schroeder
the pressure is ratcheted said there will be plenty
up even more. of opportunities to notify
Yet, despite all the hurdles. people where and how to
Amazon Prime Video is tune into the games. They
pleased about its slate of will also be available on
games for its first season Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie runs the ball during rookie mini camp NFL football stations in the participat-
as the exclusive carrier of practice Monday, May 9, 2022, in Kansas City, Mo. ing teams' markets, which
"Thursday Night Football." Associated Press is the same practice when
The Los Angeles Chargers- the contests are on ESPN
Kansas City Chiefs match- because it had partnered "You've really got a long when Brady was with New and NFL Network.
up on Sept. 15 was an- with CBS, Fox and NFL Net- and strong runway of great England a few years back While Al Michaels and Kirk
nounced two weeks ago, work on a tri-cast model for games, hopefully, that help (on `Sunday Night Foot- Herbstreit have been an-
while the remaining 14 Thursday night games for build that behavior and ball'). That's a great quar- nounced as the broadcast-
games were unveiled on five seasons. customer awareness that terback matchup just be- ing team, along with Tony
Thursday as part of the full Still, there was a little bit of Thursdays are now on Ama- cause of the contrasting Gonzalez as an analyst on
rollout of the NFL regular- a "getting to know you" pe- zon," Schroeder said. styles." pregame, halftime and
season schedule. riod for both sides. The headline game on Every team will play on postgame shows, the pro-
"We're very excited. We "There's a lot that every- the schedule is Oct. 27, Thursday, but the New York cess of putting together the
think we have some can't- one was going through the second matchup be- Giants, Minnesota and De- rest of the team is proceed-
miss games. A lot of these for the first time, but there tween Baltimore's Lamar troit will not appear on the ing, including the sideline
are all about the match- was great collaboration Jackson and Tampa Bay's Amazon package. All three reporter.
up," said Marie Donoghue, and cooperation between Tom Brady. Other games are playing on Thanksgiv- Gaudelli spent a couple
Amazon's vice president of the teams," he said. "I think of note are Tennessee at ing. Buffalo and New Eng- days earlier this month
Global Sports Video. we've put ourselves in a Green Bay (Nov. 17), Buffa- land are also playing on meeting with Amazon ex-
Donoghue said Amazon really good position for a lo at New England (Dec. 1), Thanksgiving before meet- ecutives in Los Angeles,
made its first formal pitch strong launch of TNF." Las Vegas at the Los Ange- ing each other the next and said getting every-
to the league's broadcast- The package gets off to a les Rams (Dec. 8) and Dal- week. thing together continues to
ing department the week strong start. After Chargers- las at Tennessee (Dec. 29). As with every league part- progress, even though the
before the Super Bowl to let Chiefs, Pittsburgh goes "I was really pleasantly sur- ner, Amazon also will have first game is three months
the NFL know about its fo- to Cleveland on Sept. 22 prised. I think there's some a preseason game when away.
cus and priorities. As with all which could be a match- real major attractions on San Francisco faces Hous- "I can tell you, people are
of the networks, discussions up between Steelers' first- this schedule," executive ton on Aug. 25. going to have options
continued up until the final round pick Kenny Pickett producer Fred Gaudelli NFL Broadcasting vice and enhancements that
schedule was set. and the Browns' Deshaun said. "The quarterback president Mike North said they haven't had with NFL
Even though Amazon is the Watson, who was acquired matchup is so critical be- during a conference call games," he said. "And, for
league's first new broad- in a mega-trade with Hous- cause good quarterback on Friday that even though someone like me that's
cast partner since Fox in ton. play usually means good this is Amazon's first year, been at this for a while,
1994, Donoghue is familiar On Sept. 29, it's a matchup competitive football. I did this slate of games is similar it's just been a great jolt of
with the process as an ex- of 2020 first-round quarter- Brady against Jackson to what CBS and Fox would energy."q
ecutive VP at ESPN for 19 back draft selections when
years. Jeffrey Kaiser, Ama- Miami and Tua Tagovailoa LIKE US ON
zon's head of US sports pro- head to Cincinnati to face
gramming, was with NFL the defending AFC cham-
Network for five years. pion Bengals and Joe Bur-
Hans Schroeder, the exec- row. The following week
utive vice president of NFL has two signal callers in
Media, also noted there new places with Indianap-
was a little bit of a famil- olis' Matt Ryan visiting Den- Facebook.com/arubatoday/
iarity process with Amazon ver and Russell Wilson.