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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Amazon adds gambling network to Prime Video, weighs stand-alone sports app

 (Jim Young/Bloomberg)
By Ben Strauss Washington Post

Amazon has added a 24/7 sports gambling network to its Prime Video offerings that was to be available to consumers Wednesday. The deal with gambling network SportsGrid comes as the e-commerce giant is weighing the creation of a stand-alone sports app.

SportsGrid also will be available as part of Amazon’s free bundle of channels on its FreeVee platform, which previously was known as IMDb TV. Amazon’s founder, Jeff Bezos, owns the Washington Post.

A gambling network is just the latest sports content investment by Amazon. This NFL season, it broadcast its first year of “Thursday Night Football” games after shelling out more than $1 billion per season over 11 years for the rights. The company also has exclusive rights to a number of English Premier League games in the United Kingdom and is a part-owner of YES Network, which broadcasts New York Yankees games. In November, Amazon beefed up its sports programming by launching a 12-hour block of sports talk shows, including ones hosted by former ESPN anchor Cari Champion and Master Tesfatsion, previously of Bleacher Report.

The Information reported in December that Amazon was considering a stand-alone sports app that could help generate new revenue from its sports rights. It also could put some sports content on a separate subscription tier. SportsGrid could be part of the app if Amazon pushes ahead with it. It would allow Amazon to dip its toe into gambling content without having to produce it in-house.

SportsGrid was founded in 2018 and partners with betting operators FanDuel, BetMGM and WynnBet to produce gambling-themed shows that focus on fantasy sports and wagering. They preview nightly sports action during the day and have nightly programming in which experts follow games and track live odds.