Amazon Prime Video gains rights to Stream 21 New York Yankees Games

Front Office Sports reported recently that Amazon Prime Video has gained the rights to stream 21 New York Yankees games during the 2021 Major League Baseball (MLB) season.

Legacy networks like CBS, NBC, and Fox have long feared the incursion of cash-rich tech giants into sports broadcasting.

The future is now, thanks to Amazon.https://t.co/tzJfYVfS2I

— Front Office Sports (@FOS) March 26, 2021

How Amazon Prime gained the Yankees Streaming Rights

In December of 2019, the New York Post reported the Yankees were beginning talks with Amazon to reach a deal that would “provide a streaming option amid falling TV ratings” so fans could start watch games on their phones or tablets.

According to CNBC, Disney sold “its stake in the YES Network” to an “investor group” which included the New York Yankees, Sinclair Broadcast Group, and Amazon. That CNBC article went on to say that the press release regarding Disney selling its stake in the YES Network to this investing group that included Amazon “did not specifically outline Amazon’s role in the partnership.”

What Fans Should Know about these 21 Yankee Games

Amazon Prime Video subscribers who do not live in New York State or either North or Central New Jersey, Connecticut, or Northeast Pennsylvania will not be able to stream these 21 Yankees games on Prime Video. Amazon Prime Video subscribers will also be able to watch all 21 of these games for free by accessing their Amazon Prime Video account.

The Yankees are scheduled to face the Tampa Bay Rays, on Sunday April 18 at 1:05 PM eastern-time. It was a smart idea for Amazon to make sure that the first Yankees game that they stream this year is a rivalry game like Yankees-Rays. According to Radio.com, all 21 Yankees games streamed on Prime Video will feature a live, 15-minute pre-game show with YES Network broadcasting teams.

The main advantage that Prime Video is giving fans by giving them the ability to stream Yankees games on their Prime account is this: This gives fans the ability to watch a 15-minute pre-game and 21 Yankees games while they are out of the house! On your way to work? No problem. Before you start driving, access your Amazon Prime Video account and click on the live stream of the Yankees game. Want to get fancy? Go to settings on your iPhone or Android phone and turn on Bluetooth. Then, you can listen to the YES Network’s play-by-play broadcast on your car’s radio.

Gear up, sports fans! Amazon’s new deals to broadcast Thursday Night Football in the NFL and New York Yankees games represents Amazon’s first foray into the sports broadcasting heavyweight division. Sooner rather than later, the e-commerce giant will be competing with major sports broadcasting networks like ESPN and Fox Sports for the rights to broadcast the hottest games available.