By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo Credit: Dan Doperalski for Variety
Mike Hopkins, head of Amazon Prime Video, joins CNBC to discuss his outlook on the media and streaming industry.
The merger between Warner Bros. and Paramount Skydance has dominated media and entertainment headlines. Prime Video and other platforms such as Netflix and Disney Plus will be in heavy competition mode with the new streaming merger.
Prime Video is succeeding with its sports strategy. Prime Video has partnered with the NFL by having Thursday Night Football. Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos played on Thursday, and both teams wore their classic jerseys. The Broncos won the game in overtime.
The NBA season is underway. Prime Video started streaming NBA games in 2021, but now it streams games for the entire season and the playoffs. Opening Night is on October 23, which features two games: Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks and Houston Rockets vs. San Antonio Spurs.
Amazon also streams other live sporting events, including NASCAR, the NHL, and the UEFA Champions League. Their portfolio continues to build. Hopkins is looking to build on that momentum. Intelligent and determined business leaders never want to lose an edge. Hopkins is excited for what’s to come.
“We’re excited about the NBA, which tips off next week,” Hopkins said. “We’re steps away from the nerve center for the NBA studio here in Culver City. Last year was our first year of the NBA. It performed very well, drawing about a million viewers per game over our 67 regular-season games. Over 6.5 million watched Game 7 of the East semifinals. We have the Eastern Conference Finals this season, and we’re really looking just to continue the momentum that we created last year.”
Hopkins joined Amazon in 2020 – the year of the pandemic. Hopkins has years of experience overseeing television production, distribution, and marketing operations. Hopkins has over 30 years of media experience.
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com and themmmjournal@gmail.com
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