Amazon Prime Video, the second-largest over-the-top (OTT) content platform in the country has bagged the exclusive rights for streaming New Zealand cricket matches in India. The OTT giant has joined hands with the New Zealand Cricket Board to stream all the cricket matches until 2025-26 period. It is worth noting that this is the first time Amazon Prime Video is going to stream any kind of live sport for its viewers. Adding to this, the OTT content platform has become the first Indian streaming service to get such an exclusive right from a major international cricket board. More details on the story ahead.
Amazon Prime Video To Stream all International Matches of New Zealand
Amazon Prime Video is going to stream all the matches that are going to be played by New Zealand for the next 6 years in India. It will cover both men’s and women’s ODIs, T20Is, and Test matches starting in late 2021.
This would also cover the India tour of New Zealand scheduled in early 2022 and another tour for which the dates aren’t announced yet. But Amazon Prime Video isn’t the first OTT platform to stream live international cricket in India though.
Disney+ Hotstar and Sony Liv both have rights to stream international cricket from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to stream live cricket matches of team India. Amazon Prime Video starting to stream live cricket might break the duopoly that Star and Sony share in India.
Gaurav Gandhi, Director and Country General Manager, Amazon Prime Video said, “We are thrilled to work with New Zealand Cricket on this endeavour as they have a strong, passionate and much-loved cricket team, and the cricketing rivalry between the two countries has been fantastic. We are happy to make this collaboration with New Zealand Cricket our first live sport offering in India, and are confident that our Prime members will be delighted with this initiative.”
Even though Amazon Prime Video hasn’t bagged a streaming rights deal with the BCCI yet, that doesn’t mean the Prime members won’t show up for watching New Zealand matches. India is a cricket-loving nation and be it India’s or New Zealand’s matches; people will turn up for watching live cricket. Thus this deal is certainly going to place Amazon Prime Video in a better position in the country.
