Key Points
A version of this article first appeared in the CNBC Sport newsletter with Alex Sherman, which brings you the biggest news and exclusive interviews from the worlds of sports business and media. Sign up to receive future editions, straight to your inbox. The sporting world’s attention turns to Augusta, Georgia, on Thursday with Round 1 of the Masters golf tournament. For the first time, viewers can find live coverage of the tournament on Amazon Prime Video. Amazon has exclusive live coverage of the event from 1-3 p.m. ET on Thursday and Friday during Rounds 1 and 2. For all four days of the tournament, Prime Video will produce live coverage of Amen Corner, the famed 11th, 12th and 13th holes at Augusta. Amazon’s “Inside Amen Corner” will feature advanced stats and bespoke camera angles designed to give the viewer a look at how different players attack the three holes strategically. The streamer will also have coverage of the 15th and 16th holes for all four days and showcase certain featured groups, though it will not produce that content. Amazon is the fourth-ever media partner for Augusta National, following Paramount’s CBS; Versant -owned USA Network, from 1982 through 2007; and Disney’s ESPN. Last year, the Masters, which is led by Chairman Fred Ridley, brought Paramount+ into the fold with two hours of exclusive streaming coverage on Saturday and Sunday from noon until 2 p.m. ET. That will also carry over into this year. The value of owning a slice of Masters rights for Amazon may not be as straightforward as for other sports properties. Typically, sports serve several purposes for Amazon. They add value to Amazon Prime, and they connect to Amazon’s e-commerce business, which includes sports apparel and merchandise. They also bring in higher advertising rates, since — unlike most other programming on Prime Video or peer streaming services — sports are watched live. It’s possible the Masters will bring some new subscribers to Prime Video, but the real value for Amazon is the halo effect. Owning even a few hours of exclusive Masters coverage lifts the value of Prime Video’s entire sports portfolio. On the e-commerce front, the Masters is about as anti-commercial as any sporting event in history. Commercials during the broadcast, which are limited to about four minutes per hour, are only from the Masters’ official sponsors — IBM , AT & T, Bank of America and Mercedes-Benz . Amazon won’t be injecting anything into the streaming broadcast to highlight its e-commerce business, a person familiar with the matter told CNBC. To do business with Augusta National, Amazon has to play by the club’s rules. Part of that agreement includes assurances from Amazon that coverage of the broadcast would maintain that pristine, traditional image, said the person, who asked not to be named because the discussions were private. “We look forward to a long relationship with Prime Video,” Ridley said Wednesday during his annual Masters press conference. “We do need to be looking at nontraditional ways to be promoting the tournament but more so promoting golf.” Ridley acknowledged a “tension” between respecting tradition and innovating and said Augusta wrestles with it each year. He cited the club’s decision to have YouTube creators Dude Perfect play frisbee at Amen Corner in 2022 as an example of Augusta’s willingness to try different things to reach new audiences. “In retrospect, I like those guys, but that may not have been the best idea,” said Ridley. “But thematically, we’re certainly willing to look outside the box every once in a while.” Amazon’s primary coverage on Days 1 and 2 will look very similar to that of ESPN and CBS. “They’re clearly optimizing for the right fan experience, what they think is the right broadcast experience, to build something incredibly valuable for the long term,” Prime Video’s head of sports Jay Marine told The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand last year after Amazon announced its Masters deal. Still, it’s clear the Masters wants streaming partners as part of the viewing experience. And for Amazon’s part, it will get data on how golf plays on the service. Amazon dipped its toe into golf on Black Friday with a Skins Game featuring Keegan Bradley, Xander Schauffele, Tommy Fleetwood and Shane Lowry. Given Amazon’s seemingly unfettered desire for major sports properties, Prime Video will likely be in the market for more golf — if its streaming audience responds. Disclosure: CNBC and USA Network are divisions of Versant Media.
