Amazon CEO Andy Jassy told CNBC that the company has big ambitions in entertainment, from live sports to original content for Prime subscribers.
“We’re still first in our days in the media,” Jassy told Jon Fortt, co-host of “TechCheck,” in an interview that aired Tuesday morning. “We started very well, but we believe we have the opportunity to provide a unique viewing experience to our customers with original and creative content.”
Amazon announced in May that it would acquire MGM Studios for $ 8,455 million, a move generally considered to underscore the company’s growing ambition in Hollywood. The company has also aggressively increased its investments in media and entertainment, with $ 11 billion spent on content for its video and music streaming services in 2020, up from $ 7.8 billion the previous year.
Amazon’s TV series “The Lord of the Rings,” which is expected to come out in September 2022, will cost at least $ 465 million for the first season, an unprecedented budget for a streaming program.
Hundreds of millions of people are now watching Amazon’s original content, Jassy said, in one of his first interviews since taking over as CEO Jeff Bezos.
Amazon has increasingly focused on live sports content as it hopes to attract more viewers and turn them into Prime subscribers. Sources told CNBC that Amazon has a strong interest in the National Football League’s “Sunday Ticket” and is in talks with the league about the package.
Jassy declined to comment on Amazon’s appetite for the “Sunday Ticket,” but said the company has a “very important partnership” with the NFL, citing previous AWS deals with the league.
Amazon’s line of branded TVs, the first ever to be launched, could serve as a new format for combining entertainment and commerce, Jassy said. The TVs are equipped with Amazon Fire TV software and Alexa voice control.
“Increasingly, people will trade in these mechanisms,” Jassy said. “Between what we do with Alexa and what we do in the living room, I think we have a chance to change what is possible for people and what is accessible to people.”