London: US e-commerce giant Amazon’s entry into the live broadcasting of Premier League football was expected to be full of glitz and innovation but instead they played safe in sticking to a tried and tested formula.
Amazon are the first of the tech giants to dip their toe into the Premier League after paying 90 million pounds (USD 118 million) for 20 games a year over three years, breaking up the duopoly of Sky and BT Sport.
But in the matches, shown on Amazon Prime, the seller’s premium service available for a fee, the pundits and commentators were familiar faces and Amazon branding was far from evident.
One thing that did not appear to go down well with fans attending the matches was the kick-off time of the marquee match – Manchester City’s win Tuesday against Burnley and Liverpool’s victory Wednesday against Everton – starting at 8.15 pm (2015 GMT) on both evenings.
A section of Crystal Palace fans at Tuesday’s home match with Bournemouth expressed their feelings in no uncertain fashion by brandishing a banner with: “Kick Offs Sold To the Highest Bidder, Amazon Profits, Fans Suffer.” The photograph got widespread play in the British media and globally which could prove uncomfortable for Amazon.
AFP