Amazon Prime Video has expanded its sport portfolio in the UK by offering live French Ligue 1 football matches on a pay-per-view basis.
Up to three games per weekend will be available on the streaming platform for the price of £2.49 each – to Prime subscribers and non-subscribers alike.
It is designed to appeal to casual fans of French football who do not want the commitment of signing up to a monthly or season-long contract.
The league recently launched its own direct-to-consumer (DTC) streaming platform for showing live matches in the UK, Ligue 1 Pass, priced at £9.99 a month or £79.99 per year.
Amazon wants to make Prime Video a home not just for its own rights, such as Champions League football, but also third-party rights-holders.
“This brings football fans on Prime Video more choice and flexibility, allowing them to enjoy new leagues and teams at a low-cost, without the need for long-term commitments or subscriptions,” said Prime Video Sport EMEA’s head of rights and business affairs Tim Wood.
“This new marketplace will connect major sports competitions with millions of households who are actively using Prime Video to stream, rent and buy sports and entertainment.”
Prime Video has previously offered pay-per-view boxing and the option to sign up for third-party sports subscriptions from Discovery+, Premier Sports and Spain’s LaLiga TV.
Boost for Ligue 1 bosses amid TV crisis
The move is a much-needed boost for Ligue 1 bosses, who failed to attract Sky Sports or TNT Sports to buy their UK rights and are in the midst of a crisis over their domestic TV deal.
“We are delighted to finalise this landmark agreement with Prime Video, and to extend our successful collaboration to another territory,” said Martin Aurenche, chief media officer at LFP Media.
“Ligue 1 fans in the UK will benefit from Prime Video’s extensive reach, with matches made available in a highly innovative way.
“This marks another step forward in our pursuit of new business models, following the successful launch of our DTC platform, Ligue 1 Pass, in the UK a few months ago.”