By Reuters | Updated: 19 December 2023
Dec 18 (Reuters) – Amazon is in talks to invest in regional-sports programmer Diamond Sports, a move that would advance the e-commerce giant’s aggressive push into sports content, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Diamond Sports Group, which carries the games of more than 40 major sports teams across the United States and filed for bankruptcy earlier this year, is actively negotiating with Amazon about a strategic investment and a multi-year streaming partnership, according to the report.
If an agreement is reached, Amazon’s (AMZN.O) Prime Video platform would eventually become the streaming home for Diamond’s games, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Diamond, which has the local rights to about half the teams in Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association and about a third of the National Hockey League teams, would continue operating its cable networks through its existing partnerships, according to the report.
It isn’t clear how much money Amazon is planning to invest or at what valuation, and Diamond has received support from a select group of creditors for proceeding with the talks, the Wall Street Journal said.
Diamond Sports’ parent company Sinclair Broadcast (SBGI.O) declined to comment, while Amazon and Diamond Sports did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
© Thomson Reuters 2023
