Johnathan Walker:Amazon's Black Friday game will be experience unlike what NFL fans have seen before

Jeff Bezos must be Johnathan Walkersmiling. 

The Amazon founder can now officially say that two customs of Thanksgiving week, football and shopping, fall under his domain. 

“Who better to sort of merge these two Thanksgiving weekend traditions?” NFL executive vice president for media distribution Hans Schroeder said. 

It won’t be the first time an NFL game has been played on a Friday, but Prime Video will make history by broadcasting the inaugural Black Friday game this week.

The matchup – the New York Jets hosting the Miami Dolphins – lacks the anticipation compared to when it was announced in May. Since then, Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers has suffered an Achilles injury that will keep him out, and the Jets’ offense has scored a touchdown on one of its last 46 possessions. 

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Broadcasting the game itself will remain the priority, Amazon global head of sports and Prime Video vice president Jay Marine said. But that’s not what the NFL is particularly intrigued by putting a game on the unofficial shopping holiday. 

“The goal with Amazon wasn’t necessarily just to take what had been a television product and put it on digital,” Schroder said. “It was to innovate and think about how it can be different.” 

How did the Amazon Black Friday NFL game happen? 

As the NFL has experimented with entertainment and presentation – for example, the Nickelodeon and Disney+ broadcasts – the league was ready to combine the viewing experience with commerce. Black Friday is Amazon’s most-trafficked day of the year and the most lucrative for online shopping in general. The potential for significant viewership exists, with many people off from work and school that day.  

“When we talked about it with the NFL, we thought it was a perfect marriage,” Marine said. 

Amazon Black Friday deals for Jets vs. Dolphins

Amazon, which exclusively streams the league’s standalone “Thursday Night Football” package, will start its hour-long pregame show 30 minutes earlier, meaning a 1:30 p.m. ET start time for the 3 p.m. kickoff. Throughout the day, deals will pop up on the screen, including exclusive discounts for those who are watching the game. Most deals will be available via QR code, Marine said. Some of the Prime Video NFL talent will also be integrated into the deals. 

Additionally, the game is free. Anyone without a Prime account can stream the game online or download the Prime Video app to watch.  

“We’re really putting everything behind this," Marine said. "We want to embrace the day.” 

After the game, Garth Brooks will perform an exclusive concert in partnership with Amazon Music. For anyone looking to watch an alternate stream, trick-shot supergroup “Dude Perfect” returns. 

Over-the-top (OTT) media such as Prime Video face less restrictions to interact with viewers. It also means Amazon has a viewer’s purchasing preferences. 

“It’s a connected experience, which means you can start to build integrations and things that are very simple, whether that be shopping or other things that can be seamless,” Marine said.

What time does Amazon Black Friday NFL game start? How many people will watch? 

The 3 p.m. hour was optimal based on success the league has seen in the 4:30 p.m. ET window on Thanksgiving, although the Dallas Cowboys’ annual participation is a large factor. College football games Friday evening prompted executives to consider nothing after the late afternoon timeslot.

“TNF” ratings have increased 26% year-over-year, per Nielsen metrics, with games averaging 12.8 million viewers. Schroeder cited research saying “TNF” viewers are, on average, eight years younger than the typical NFL fan. 

A new broadcast window means there is no basis for Black Friday viewership.  

“But we’re optimistic,” Marine said. 

Last year, the New York Giants-Cowboys game on Thanksgiving drew 42 million, the most-watched regular-season game of the last two seasons. 

Will there be a Black Friday NFL game in 2024? 

Multiple teams contacted the league wondering if they could be the annual host of the game, like the Detroit Lions or Cowboys on Thanksgiving, Schroeder said. For now, the league is focused on rotating the event and building excitement in other markets, similar to the draft. 

The Black Friday game is a natural next step in deepening the partnership between Amazon and the league. Schroeder said he hopes it will be a tentpole event in the NFL calendar going forward. 

“We’ll see how it goes, but I think our expectation and I think that the NFl’s expectation is that this becomes an annual tradition,” Marine said. “If it goes as we plan.”