According to Ampere Analysis, streaming platforms are set to spend $14.2bn on sports rights in 2026, marking a 7% increase year on year.
Amazon Prime Video is expected to become the world’s largest streaming investor in sports rights, accounting for 27% of global spend in 2026.
The shift sees Amazon overtake DAZN, which has led streaming sports investment since 2018. Amazon’s rise is driven largely by 2026 being the first full year of its 11-year NBA deal, valued at $1.8bn per season.
Paramount+ also enters the top five streaming spenders for the first time, following its $1.1bn-per-year UFC deal in the US.
Amazon’s portfolio includes NFL Thursday Night Football in the US and UEFA Champions League rights in Germany, Italy and the UK, giving the platform a year-round live sports offering.
Generalist streamers, including Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Paramount+, Disney+ and Apple TV, will account for 44% of total streaming spend on sports rights in 2026, up from 31% in 2025.
Live sport is increasingly seen as a key driver of subscriber acquisition, retention and ad-tier revenues. The trend is already reshaping the market, with Paramount+ beating DAZN and TNT Sports in recent UEFA Champions League rights tenders in Germany and the UK.
