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Amazon has been throwing its weight around in sports of late, signing multi-billion-dollar rights deals with the NFL and the NBA as lures for advertisers on Prime Video.
Kelly Day, VP of International at the tech giant, says it’s a misconception to think that those hefty bets are siphoning resources away from film and TV originals.
Sports are “irreplaceable” and a “core” element to the overall programming strategy, Day affirmed during a keynote session at NATPE in Miami. At the same time, “we are continuing to ramp up spend” on original films and series. A recent SEC filing from the company suggests as much, indicating that total 2024 spending on TV, movies and music increased 14% over 2023 levels, reaching $18.9 billion.
“There have been things written about, ‘Oh, we must be cutting here to put money there.’ That’s just, you know …” Day said, trailing off and letting her I’m-so-over-this facial expression make the rest of her point. “We don’t share details about those things, and there’s always more under the covers than what people see. … It is part of this dynamic of trying to get the right mix of global originals, international originals. We still do a lot of pay-1, pay-2 movie deals, library movies and television, Tier 1 sports in select places where it makes sense. But at the end of the day, it is about what’s going to be the optimal selection for our customers.”
Arriving at that balanced mix “has to make financial sense,” Day added.
Day, who was appointed to her post in 2021, also touched on the notion of teaming with a tech rival’s talent with YouTube star MrBeast’s global game show.
Beast Games has accomplished a rare feat after its debut last fall, Day observed, drawing sizable viewing in many global markets, as opposed to the usual approach of adapting a show’s format on a market-by-market basis.
While there were murmurings about a flagship YouTuber taking his talents to another tech platform, Day said the decision to “move mountains” to land the pricey game show fit with the curatorial goal. It’s very much part of our DNA to be partner-centric and think about expanding selection through different types of partners.”
Day said the company is open to pursuing follow-on creator-driven opportunities along the MrBeast model, though she noted he is in rare air given his massive global following.
“I think there’s a lot of opportunity,” she said. “Tubers and streamers and podcasters are all very interesting” as potential entry points for viewers.
Unscripted programming has been “a way for us to work with local talent and local creators,” Day said, noting that formats like LOL: Last One Laughing are being adapted in more than 20 countries.
“And in select markets, we have continued to ramp up investments in movies in particular,” she continued. “It’s not to say we won’t do scripted series. We do scripted series in many different countries, but as we have seen the global titles [like Fallout or The Lord of the Rings] resonate more and more with audiences around the world, it’s given us a little bit more freedom and flexibility at the local level to focus more on movies and unscripted and things like that.” Such fare works as a “complement to the global slate,” she added.
