Amazon.com is working on a standalone app for watching sports content, the information reported Wednesday, citing a source with direct knowledge of the plan.
Sports continue to be one of the biggest attractions for live viewing as American audiences increasingly move from pay TV subscriptions to streaming apps.
The move will likely complement Amazon’s efforts to double down on sports programming through its Prime Video service, a key channel for drawing consumers to its shopping platform.
Amazon already owns the rights to stream games, including the Thursday Night Football franchise of the National Football League and Premier League football matches in the UK, which puts it in a better position to compete with the sports streaming leader, Walt Disney Co.
Last week, Alphabet unit YouTube also signed a multi-year deal to exclusively stream the NFL’s Sunday Ticket package of games in the United States.
It was not clear when Amazon would roll out the sports app or whether the plan would go ahead, according to the report.
Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.
The company has been scrutinizing unprofitable business units and laying off some staff to cover rising costs and a slump in demand as consumers and businesses wary of inflation spend less.
In India, Amazon launched Prime Gaming for PC a few days ago, which gives users access to several free PC games every month. This is a subscription-based gaming service that can be used along the Amazon Prime subscription. In December 2022, Prime Gaming will give access to eight game titles.
To avail the Prime Gaming service in India, users can go to the Prime Gaming website by logging in with their credentials and clicking the button Activate Prime Gaming button in the top right corner of the screen.