Amazon Prime Video attracted more than 635,000 new customers in the UK in the fourth quarter, driven by demand for live Premier League football matches on the platform, according to research company Kantar.
In total, Amazon captured 49% of the 1.3 million new UK subscription OTT customers in Q4, outpacing Netflix, which controlled a 17% share of these new subscribers.
In Q4, hit series The Boys drew audience share for Amazon, as did Sacha Baron Cohen’s “Borat” film sequel. But Kagan credits the 20 Premier League English football games carried by the streaming company during the three-month period. Amazon was in the second season of a three-year deal to stream Premier League matches in the UK.
“Amazon’s increasing focus on live sports continues to pay big dividends,” said Dominic Sunnebo, senior VP at Kantar’s Worldpanel operation, quoted in The Guardian newspaper.
This has implications for the U.S. market, as well, where Amazon has aggressively pursued rights to sports leagues including the NFL.
On Dec. 26, for example, Amazon had exclusive national “broadcast” rights to the final regular season matchup between the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers. And it streamed an NFC Wild Card game between the New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears on Jan. 10.
