The NFL is renowned for its strategic thinking, and a groundbreaking move is set to unfold on Black Friday. The New York Jets will face the Miami Dolphins in a historic Amazon Prime Video event, marking the first time the NFL has hosted a game on this shopping-centric day after Thanksgiving. However, a prevailing conspiracy theory suggests that the motive behind this isn’t purely football-related but rather centered on e-commerce.
As outlined by Joe Pompliano, Amazon’s financial gain from this game is expected to be substantial. The tech giant secured streaming rights by offering the league a staggering $100 million. Interestingly, while the game is open for anyone to watch, advertisers face a unique pricing strategy – a 30-second ad slot on Friday commands twice the rate of ‘Thursday Night Football,’ with a fee of $880,000 compared to $440,000.
But the NFL has never done a Black Friday game because 1) it’s a holiday known for people leaving the house to go shopping and 2) the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 prohibits NFL games on Fridays after 6 pm ET and all day on Saturdays during the fall. This rule was implemented by Congress to protect high school and college football from seeing a decline in attendance and viewership because of the NFL. But Amazon offered the NFL $100 million for the game, so they decided to put it at 3 pm ET to skirt the rule.
Essentially, Amazon’s $100 million investment in broadcasting the NFL’s inaugural Black Friday game serves as a strategic chess move. The aim is to not only capitalize on the lucrative ad space but also to compete with brick-and-mortar stores and bolster online sales.
The Thanksgiving game last year, featuring the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants, drew a record-breaking 33.5 million viewers, making it the most-watched regular-season game ever. Similar expectations surround the Black Friday matchup, even though the unexpected unavailability of Aaron Rodgers took the league by surprise.
RELATED: Adult Star Kendra Lust Seemingly Points to Roger Goodell Knowing Who She Is Amid Picture Controversy
Beyond viewership numbers, Amazon is introducing a savvy advertising strategy called “audience-based creative.” This approach allows brands to target viewers with diverse ads and seamlessly integrate products from commercials into a user’s cart with a single click – eliminating the need for viewers to exit the broadcast.
In essence, Amazon’s investment of $100 million appears to be a genius move, leveraging the Black Friday NFL game not only for profit but also as a strategic means to dominate market share, particularly against traditional brick-and-mortar retailers. It showcases once again the remarkable ability of these companies to maximize their profits through innovative business maneuvers.