Amazon’s partnership with the National Basketball Association has become a catalyst for a dramatic surge in global basketball viewership, with Prime Video reporting a 28 percent year‑over‑year increase in international audiences.
A New Era of Global Basketball
The impact has been most pronounced in Europe, Asia‑Pacific and Latin America, where viewership spikes have reshaped consumption patterns. In Europe, Prime Video’s NBA coverage surged 129 percent compared with the previous season, while the NBA Finals on the platform became the most‑watched finals in the region since 2016, posting a 130 percent year‑over‑year rise.
France exemplified the trend, recording a 265 percent jump in viewership during the Knicks‑Spurs Finals, marking the highest audience ever for an NBA Finals broadcast in the country.
Similar momentum was seen across the Asia‑Pacific, where regular‑season games grew 29 percent year‑over‑year, and in Latin America, where Brazil and Mexico each posted an 80 percent increase, setting the stage for the 2026 Finals to become the most‑watched broadcasts in both markets.
Prime Video now delivers localized NBA broadcasts in 14 languages to more than 200 countries and territories, a logistical achievement that underscores the partnership’s ambition to serve a truly global fan base.
Alex Green, Managing Director of Prime Video Sport International, said the first season exceeded expectations and validated Amazon’s long‑term investment in international basketball coverage, while Matt Brabants, Senior Vice President of International Content Partnerships at the NBA, emphasized the shared commitment to celebrating the game with fans worldwide.
The arrangement also reflects a broader distribution model in the United States, where rights are shared among Prime Video, Comcast’s NBC and Peacock, and Disney’s ESPN, while Warner Bros Discovery holds global broadcast rights alongside the league.
Industry analysts view the deal as a template for future sports streaming ventures, suggesting that deep‑pocketed tech firms can leverage exclusive content to accelerate subscriber growth and diversify advertising revenue on a worldwide scale.