The National Football League (NFL) is growing its partnership with Amazon, offering an expanded fan shop with new, officially licensed gear that builds on the limited merchandise previously sold, Sportico reported.
Fanatics, the biggest seller of licensed fan gear worldwide, operates the NFL’s online store.
It wasn’t clear if the expanded shop merchandise is a pilot program or something more permanent, according to Sportico.
“Amazon continues to collaborate with the NFL to enhance our customer experience and we look forward to expanding our assortment of NFL products,” Amazon said in a statement, per Sportico.
The Amazon merchandise deal follows the NFL’s new $105 billion broadcast agreement, which gives the eCommerce giant exclusive rights to televise most of the professional football league’s Thursday night lineup. The 10-year contract is so far the biggest pro sports deal made with a streaming service.
The NFL’s media deal also includes an option that would grant Amazon a regular-season game on one of the biggest shopping days of the year — Black Friday. Officially licensed sports merchandise is one of the few eCommerce areas where Amazon finds that it is not a dominant seller. Fanatics has largely cornered the market, with partnerships in place with the NFL and 25 teams.
Since 2017, Amazon has had the right to show Thursday night games to its Prime Video members as well as offering free access on its streaming platform, Twitch. Those games were broadcast by Fox, however, only getting simulcast on Amazon.
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