Al Haymon’s PBC Reportedly In Talks With Amazon For New Broadcast Deal
- Showtime Will Reportedly Exit Boxing At The End Of 2023
- This Will Leave Al Haymon’s PBC Without A US Network Deal
- Amazon Has Emerged As A Rumoured Option For PBC Fights
After a 37-year successful stint in boxing, Showtime will reportedly exit the sport ending on a flagship year for the network’s schedule – according to heavy rumours that have been neither confirmed nor denied.
Network executive Stephen Espinoza has refused to rule out Showtime’s departure from the sport. All the talk coming out of the Canelo-Charlo fight week indicates that the channel’s days in boxing are numbered.
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The existing Showtime/PBC deal does have one year remaining on the contract but it was suggested that Showtime could pay Al Haymon’s PBC a fee to end the contract a year early.
Could The PBC Look Towards Amazon For Its New Network Deal?
Boxing reporter Chris Mannix has claimed that there have been discussions with Amazon to become the PBC’s future broadcast partner.
“PBC has talked to Amazon”, Mannix told Keith Idec on his latest Boxing With Chris Mannix podcast, “I believe that’s their preferred destination, they prefer to do a deal with Amazon.”
“Amazon has gotten into sports more than other streaming services over the last couple of years. NFL football, sports talk shows things like that.”
In the United Kingdom, Amazon Prime has a successful deal with the Premier League which has seen them show 20 games/year for the last six years for the equivalent of £1.5m/game.
The deal they were offered was a ‘loss leader’ for the Premier League and an attempt to bring a tech giant into bidding.
NoSmokeSport understands that Amazon’s Premier League offering will be non-existent after the next auction as the media giant is unlikely to lodge a bid in the high nine figures for one of the five packages on offer and a deal like their previous one will not be on the table.
“I know there have been discussions between PBC and Amazon. I don’t know what Amazon is looking to do, become a Showtime-like boxing provider, or to do one-off shows. There has been dialogue between PBC officials and Amazon.”
NoSmokeSport.com spoke to Eddie Hearn on Saturday about the PBC’s future and Hearn also mentioned Amazon as a potential network partner for the PBC, as well as DAZN.