Thursday Night Football (TNF) on Prime Video earned its very first Sports Emmy Award last night in a star-studded ceremony in Manhattan held by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS). The 44th Annual Sports Emmy Awards honored the inaugural season of Thursday Night Football with the award for Outstanding Interactive Experience – Event Coverage, which recognized TNF’s suite of alternate streams that provided fans with unprecedented abilities to deepen and customize their viewing experience.
Each week, Thursday Night Football offered multiple alternate streams, including “TNF en Español” for Spanish-speaking fans, as well as “Prime Vision with Next Gen Stats”—our technology-enhanced stream that showcased on-screen graphic overlays, A.I.- driven analytics, and Next Gen Stats powered by AWS. In addition, TNF provided fans with entertaining and unique viewing options throughout the season, such as “TNF with Dude Perfect” and “TNF in The Shop.”
Marie Donoghue, Amazon’s vice president of global sports video, accepted the award onstage, alongside several members of the Prime Video Sports team, and offered the following remarks:
“When we won the exclusive Thursday Night Football rights, we needed to go from zero to 100 in about 18 months. It’s been an amazing ride with a spectacular team. Thanks to everyone on the sports team—in front of and behind the camera—and everyone throughout Amazon who has supported us, especially our partners in tech and product. Thank you to the NFL for trusting us. We are especially excited to win this category, because it encompasses the entire fan experience, and we always start with the fan. Of course, this wouldn’t be possible without the incredible talent on our alternate streams. This was just year one, and we’re just getting started. Thank you.”
According to NATAS’ classification of nominations by program, the inaugural season of Thursday Night Football earned more Sports Emmy nominations than any other full-season NFL package. Beyond Outstanding Interactive Experience, TNF was also nominated for Outstanding Live Series, Outstanding Graphic Design, Specialty, Outstanding Digital Innovation, and Outstanding Personality/Play-by-Play for Al Michaels. For Michaels, his work in the TNF broadcast booth last season earned him the 33rd Sports Emmy nomination of his legendary career, during which he has collected eight trophies, including NATAS’ Lifetime Achievement Award.
Thursday Night Football kicks off an exciting new season of live coverage on Thursday, September 14, when the NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles host the NFC North Champion Minnesota Vikings in Lincoln Financial Field’s home opener. See the full TNF schedule for more games. If you’re not sure how to stream the games, check out our guide to catch all the TNF action on Prime Video this season.
