Amazon Prime Video becomes top global spender on sports rights in 2026

Amazon Prime Video is expected to become the top streaming platform for global sports rights investment in 2026, according to new research from Ampere Analysis. The platform is projected to account for 27 percent of all sports rights spending by streamers, overtaking DAZN, which has led in the category since 2018.

Ampere estimated that streaming platforms will collectively spend $14.2 billion on sports rights in 2026, up from $13.2 billion in 2025. The increase is driven in part by Amazon’s 11-year media rights agreement with the NBA, valued at $1.8 billion per season. The 2026 calendar year will mark the first full year of that deal.

DAZN’s investment declined compared to 2025, when it acquired streaming rights for the FIFA Men’s Club World Cup for $1 billion. The competition is not held in 2026.

Amazon also holds rights to NFL Thursday Night Football in the United States and the UEFA Champions League in Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom. These deals give the company a continuous presence in live sports programming throughout the year in key markets.

Paramount+ entered the top five streaming spenders on sports rights following a $1.1 billion annual agreement for UFC rights in the United States.

Ampere’s analysis found that generalist streaming services—including Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Paramount+, Disney+ and Apple TV—will represent 44 percent of global streaming sports rights spending in 2026, compared to 31 percent in 2025.

The report highlighted increased competition for premium sports rights among generalist platforms, which are using live sports to drive subscriptions and advertising revenue. Paramount+ recently secured UEFA Champions League rights in Germany and the United Kingdom, replacing incumbents DAZN and TNT Sports in those territories.

Ampere attributed spending to streaming platforms only when rights are exclusively distributed on streaming services. When rights are shared between linear and over-the-top platforms, value was assigned to the linear portion unless explicitly designated otherwise.

Advertisement