Thursday Night Football Amazon NFL Broadcast Off to a Rocky Start IndieWire

Thursday Night Football Amazon NFL Broadcast Off to a Rocky Start IndieWire

‘Thursday Night Football’: Amazon NFL Broadcast Off to a Rocky Start IndieWire × Continue to IndieWire SKIP AD You will be redirected back to your article in seconds Back to IndieWire News All News Galleries Lists Box Office Trailers Festivals Thompson on Hollywood Film All Film Reviews Interviews Profiles of a Partnership 2022 Best Movies of 2022, So Far 2022 Fall Movie Preview 2023 Oscars ’90s Week Best of the Decade Video Podcasts TV All TV Reviews Interviews 2022 Fall TV Preview 2022 Emmys Best TV Shows of 2022, So Far Influencers: The Craft of TV 2022 Video Podcasts Awards All Awards 2023 Oscar Predictions TV Awards Calendar Film Awards Calendar Thompson on Hollywood Influencers: Profiles of a Partnership 2022 Awards Spotlight Spring 2022 Craft Considerations Top of the Line Animation Podcasts Video All Video Podcasts Consider This Conversations Toolkit Sundance Studio Awards Spotlight Winter 2022 Tune In Shop Gift Guides Tech Movies and TV to Buy and Stream More About Team How to Pitch Stories and Articles to IndieWire Advertise with IndieWire Confidential Tips News All News Galleries Lists Box Office Trailers Festivals Thompson on Hollywood Film All Film Reviews Interviews Profiles of a Partnership 2022 Best Movies of 2022, So Far 2022 Fall Movie Preview 2023 Oscars ’90s Week Best of the Decade Video Podcasts TV All TV Reviews Interviews 2022 Fall TV Preview 2022 Emmys Best TV Shows of 2022, So Far Influencers: The Craft of TV 2022 Video Podcasts Awards All Awards 2023 Oscar Predictions TV Awards Calendar Film Awards Calendar Thompson on Hollywood Influencers: Profiles of a Partnership 2022 Awards Spotlight Spring 2022 Craft Considerations Top of the Line Animation Podcasts Video All Video Podcasts Consider This Conversations Toolkit Sundance Studio Awards Spotlight Winter 2022 Tune In Shop Gift Guides Tech Movies and TV to Buy and Stream More About Team How to Pitch Stories and Articles to IndieWire Advertise with IndieWire Confidential Tips

People Really Hated Amazon Prime Video’ s Football Debut

Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers kept the game competitive until the end but many fans were dissatisfied with the overall experience

Christian Zilko Sep 16, 2022 3:37 pm Share This Article Reddit LinkedIn WhatsApp Email Print Talk Mike Williams of the Los Angeles Chargers catches the ball in front of L’Jarius Sneed #38 of the Kansas City Chiefs for a touchdown. Getty Images When the Los Angeles Chargers faced off against the Kansas City Chiefs last night, fans got their clearest look yet at what the future of sports media might look like. The game was streamed exclusively on Amazon Prime Video, as part of Amazon’s new deal with the NFL that has turned the tech giant into the exclusive home of “Thursday Night Football.”While last Thursday’s season opener between the Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills was broadcast on NBC, all subsequent Thursday matchups (except for the nationally televised Thanksgiving games) will be streamed exclusively on Amazon Prime Video. Amazon has dabbled in NFL broadcasts in the past, but last night marked the first time that a major game was available exclusively on a streaming service. Some growing pains were inevitable, and few expected that it would be easy to get the NFL’s massive, demographic-spanning fan base prepared to watch the game on a new platform. In addition to the logistical hurdles, it was also the first game for newly-minted broadcasting duo Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit. The two men are very familiar faces to football fans, but had not called games together before (Michaels recently left his longtime home at NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” to join Amazon, and Herbstreit spends his Saturdays anchoring ESPN’s sprawling college football coverage). With all of those new variables, many close observers of the league were as curious about the broadcast as they were about Justin Herbert’s ability to measure up to Patrick Mahomes. But many fans ultimately felt like the broadcast got off to a rocky start. Some complained that the overly slick presentation negatively affected the image quality, while many others experienced pixelation, synchronization issues, and audio that frequently cut in and out. Even with motion-smoothing turned off, it still looks like it's on during Prime Video's NFL games. - Christian Blauvelt (@ctblauvelt) September 16, 2022 Whoever had the idea of putting football on amazon prime video instead of it just being on TV, fuck you - jake (@jakemckinney17) September 16, 2022 Love watching Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime. Love that it’s all pixelated and fuzzy. Also love how the sound and the video are not synced up correctly. Great stream, Love it. #NFL #AmazonPrime - King Sully Mac 169 IQ 5’10 ish” (@SullyMacCat85) September 16, 2022 First night of watching NFL on Amazon Prime…broadcast quality is terrible on video and audio. ? Can’t believe this is a thing now. #KCvsLAC #TNFonPrime - Strider (@seconds732) September 15, 2022 Amazon Prime must be streaming this #NFL game in 480p. I can almost count the pixels. Stream is SO bad. Feel like I'm doing something wrong. #TNFonPrime - Kevin Koperski (@kevinkoperski) September 16, 2022 Chiefs vs Charges on Amazon Prime looking like pic.twitter.com/ul96x8YzNe - Gurth_Brookz (@gurth_brookz) September 16, 2022 a stunning amount of the ads on Amazon Prime are for Amazon Prime, the service I am paying for to watch the ads - Rodger Sherman (@rodger) September 16, 2022 Live view of Amazon Prime trying to stream Thursday Night Football pic.twitter.com/4LG9HMrViS - BLACK ADAM SCHEFTER (@B1ackSchefter) September 16, 2022 i love amazon prime but this football broadcast is AWFUL. obviously they were not prepared for the high volume of viewers - Devin (@devinncohenn) September 16, 2022 It’s a struggle trying to watch this game on Amazon prime… - Michael Crabtree (@KingCrab15) September 16, 2022 Dear God: Why can’t the NFL just put games on regular TV? Signed,
Luddite living in Florida - Ernest Hooper (@hoop4you) September 16, 2022 These problems were not always universal, and many were able to enjoy the broadcast without major issues. And many of the biggest glitches happened on Amazon’s Twitch Channel, rather than the standard broadcast that people watched through their own Amazon Prime subscriptions. Still, plenty of fans left the game with as many questions about Amazon’s ability to broadcast live football (and win over public opinion) as they did about Justin Herbert’s injury status. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. This Article is related to: Television and tagged Amazon, NFL, Thursday Night Football
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