Amazon Working on Standalone App for Sports Content: Report

Amazon.com is working on a standalone app for watching sports content, the Information reported on Wednesday, citing a source with direct knowledge of the plan.

Sports remains one of the biggest attractions for live viewing as US audiences increasingly switch from pay TV subscriptions to streaming apps.

The move will likely complement Amazon's effort to double down on sports programming through its Prime Video service, a key channel to attract consumers to its shopping platform.

Amazon already owns the rights to stream games including National Football League's Thursday Night Football franchise and Premier League soccer matches in the UK, setting it up to better compete with sports streaming leader Walt Disney Co.

Last week, Alphabet unit YouTube also signed a multi-year deal to exclusively stream NFL's Sunday Ticket package of games in the United States.

It was not clear when Amazon would roll out the sports app and whether it would go through with the plan, according to the report.

Amazon did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The company has been reviewing unprofitable business units and has laid off some staff to cover rising costs and a demand downturn as inflation-wary consumers and businesses spend less.

In India, Amazon launched Prime Gaming for PC a few days back, giving users access to various free PC games every month. This is a subscription-based gaming service which can be availed along the Amazon Prime plan. In December 2022, Prime Gaming provides access to eight game titles.  

To avail the Prime Gaming service in India, users can head to the Prime Gaming website by signing in with their credentials, and click on the Activate Prime Gaming button from the top right corner of the screen.