Amazon to Broadcast College Sports Events for First Time in Landmark Deal With Duke Men’s Basketball

Duke is entering into a landmark enterprise partnership with Amazon that will allow the streaming service exclusive rights to three marquee men’s basketball games next season, according to a report from ESPN’s Jeff Borzello and Pete Thamel.

Three Duke games will be broadcast on Amazon, including the program’s Elite Eight rematch with UConn in Las Vegas on Nov. 25, a regular-season rematch of last season’s “Duel in the District” against Michigan—which will take place at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 21, as well as a tilt against Gonzaga on Feb. 20 in Detroit.

The Blue Devils are no strangers to the big stage with their men’s basketball program, but this deal with Amazon is historic. The deal with the Duke athletic department is set to provide extensive NIL opportunities to Duke athletics and will be part of a “broader retail partnership” that is expected to be announced at a later date.

The deal is historic for both Duke and Amazon, and could serve as a sign of things to come in the NIL and Revenue Sharing era

Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer speaks with the media during a press conference at the men’s NCAA tournament. — Jon Scheyer’s Duke program reached an agreement ot play a trio of high-profile games on Amazon’s Prime Video service next season. | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Schools who are serious about competing in the two highest revenue-generating sports—college football and college basketball—are in an arms race to raise as much money as possible to stay competitive in roster spend for championship pursuits.

With the NIL opportunities that will be available exclusively to Duke basketball players as part of this deal with Amazon, the Blue Devils will be at a competitive advantage as their players will be able to market their own games for the streaming service. Other streaming brands are expected to become more aggressive in acquiring college sports rights in discussions over the next several years, with Duke’s deal with Amazon potentially being the first of many of its kind.

This partnership with Duke, which is the first college sports media rights that Amazon holds, comes on the heels of Prime Video beginning their 11-year media rights agreement with the NBA this season along with continuing its exclusive Thursday Night Football coverage for the NFL.

Borzello and Thamel noted that Duke worked exclusively with ESPN and the ACC on “future scheduling commitments” to allow for this partnership with Amazon to happen. The streaming service will broadcast three neutral site games per season through 2028–29.

“In addition to our outstanding partnership with ESPN, we are excited to work with Prime Video on this groundbreaking initiative,” Duke athletic director Nina King said in a statement. “As Prime Video’s first college sports partner, this collaboration not only expands the global reach of Duke Men’s Basketball, but also creates meaningful opportunities for our student-athletes in a way that reflects innovation and excellence.”

Given the popularity of Duke men’s basketball, it seems fitting that Amazon reached a first-of-its-kind college streaming agreement with the Blue Devils program. Duke’s roster will be loaded once again next season, as Jon Scheyer looks to bring a national championship back to Durham for the first time in his tenure. To-date, the Blue Devils coach has taken the program to four NCAA tournaments and a Final Four appearance since taking over for Mike Krzyzewski prior to the start of the 2022–23 season.

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