MIAMI (NewsNation) — The NFL has introduced a Black Friday football game hosted by Amazon, strategically placed in the midst of the most bustling shopping day of the year.
Many people speculate that this move is a strategic chess play to snatch market shares from brick-and-mortar stores and boost online sales.
Amazon reportedly invested $100 million for the NFL game rights, allowing open access to viewers.
The company plans to leverage its new ad strategy, known as “audience-based creative.” Viewers watching the game at home can add products from commercials into their virtual cart with the click of a button and complete the purchase without leaving the broadcast or their couch.
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The reason the NFL hasn’t explored this before lies in two factors: The tradition of people leaving home for shopping on this holiday and the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961. This legislation, enacted by Congress to safeguard high school and college football viewership, bars NFL games on Fridays after 6 p.m. and all-day Saturdays during the fall.
Thanksgiving football draws in massive viewership, averaging more than 33 million viewers in last year’s games. It presents a lucrative advertising opportunity and Amazon is reportedly charging $800,000 for every 30-second commercial.