New Delhi: Amazon Prime Video on Tuesday announced its foray into live sports in India, with the acquisition of India territory rights for New Zealand Cricket through 2025-26.
Under the multi-year deal between Amazon and the New Zealand Cricket Board, Prime Video will become the one-stop streaming destination for all international cricket matches to be played in New Zealand for both men's and women's cricket, across ODI, T20 and Tests starting late 2021, a statement said.
"With this, Amazon Prime Video becomes the first Indian streaming service to secure exclusive live cricket rights from a major cricketing board," it added.
The deal includes Team India's tour of New Zealand in early 2022, and a second tour, the dates for which will be announced later.
The rights for 2020-2021 season, starting later this month, is intended to be syndicated by Amazon, the statement said.
Over the last few years, Amazon Prime Video has become the go-to destination for world-class entertainment in India – be it Amazon Original Series or the biggest blockbuster movies across languages, Amazon Prime Video Director and Country General Manager Gaurav Gandhi said.
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"We are excited to add India's most loved game - Cricket - to our content selection for our Prime Video customers...We are happy to make this collaboration with New Zealand Cricket our first live sport offering in India, and are confident that our Prime members will be delighted with this initiative," Gandhi said.
The Indian territory New Zealand Cricket rights package is the latest in Amazon Prime Video's growing line-up of live sports around the world, including Thursday Night Football, the Premier League, ATP Tour Events, WTA, the US Open (tennis), UEFA Champions League, Autumn Nations Cup (rugby), and the Seattle Sounders FC.
"...the future of live sport is streaming and in Amazon Prime Video we have a partner right at the center of the industry; innovative, trend-setter and well-known for putting fans and subscribers first," David White, Chief Executive New Zealand Cricket, said.
He added that one of NZC's key goals is to extend its teams' global reach and to build closer relationships around the world.
"India has always been important for viewership of NZC; no other country follows cricket like India, so it's exciting to be announcing this agreement with India's leading streamer," he said.
(PTI Report)
