Amazon is quickly becoming the 800 pound gorilla of sports.
Latest example: Napoli have become the first soccer team in the world to launch their own store on Amazon. Rather than simply being available on the club website and in stores, fans will now also be able to purchase their Napoli gear on Amazon.
The e-commerce retailer has been growing rapidly in the sports apparel market. A report this year by CPC Strategy noted: "This Apparel survey wasn’t supposed to revolve around Amazon—but as with most e-commerce conversations, Amazon is at the center."
According to Morgan Stanley, the e-commerce giant will become the top player of the U.S. apparel industry in 2018, having gained 1.5% of market share last year. The gains will largely be driven by millennials moving dollars away from bricks and mortar, the firm said in a new report. CNBC reported that "Amazon's push into fashion relies heavily on athletic apparel.
Look for more such deals from Amazon like its arrangement with Napoli.
In April, Amazon bought the exclusive rights in the United Kingdom to the U.S. Open tennis tournament. The same month the company extended its deal with the NFL for Thursday Night Football, this time agreeing to pay $65 million a year, $15 million more than its previous agreement. In 2017, Amazon was charging $2.8 million for advertising packages during live streams of TNF.
But it appears as though soccer is the global story for Amazon. Last month, it purchased the streaming rights for 20 Premier League games beginning with the 2019-20 season.
It's of course all about getting more customers to Amazon Prime. For example, the Premier League will come at no extra cost to existing Prime Video users but people not already subscribed to the £7.99 per month streaming service will have to pay more.
The e-commerce giant is also soon to release a behind-the-scenes documentary series about Manchester City’s record-breaking 2017-18 Premier League season. Amazon is reportedly interested in La Liga, Spain's top soccer league, rights as well.
Apparel or viewing content, it's all about getting customers to Amazon Prime. And it's working. Eat your heart out Walt Disney (ESPN).
