Amazon has secured the exclusive UK television rights to the US Open tennis tournament in a five-year deal reportedly worth $40 million (£30 million). The agreement, starting with this year's event at Flushing Meadows in New York, will make the grand slam available to subscribers of Amazon's Prime service, which costs £79 annually.
The deal adds to Amazon's growing sports portfolio, which already includes a £50 million, five-year contract for UK rights to the ATP World Tour, outbidding Sky. Alex Green, managing director of channels and sports for Amazon's Prime Video in Europe, said: 'We are proud to add the US Open to the growing portfolio of sports available on Prime Video. This makes Prime Video a destination for tennis fans.'
With this acquisition, Prime Video subscribers can access three of the four grand slams, as Wimbledon remains a 'listed event' requiring free-to-air coverage on the BBC, and Eurosport holds rights to the Australian and French Opens. Sky Sports dropped its US Open coverage in 2016 after 25 years.
Amazon revealed this week it has over 100 million Prime subscribers globally, a figure CEO Jeff Bezos disclosed in his annual letter to shareholders. The service, launched 13 years ago to foster customer loyalty, now includes streaming of music, films, and TV shows, as well as free delivery on purchases.
Analyst Daniel Ives of GBH Insights described the subscriber count as 'mind boggling,' noting that Prime members spend on average twice as much as non-members. Amazon shipped over 5 billion items to Prime members in 2017 and continues to expand the service's benefits, including two-hour delivery from its recently acquired Whole Foods stores.
