Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Audio / Video
  3. News

Amazon Prime Video secures streaming deal with MLS team

Nick Woodard
By

Are you ready for some fútbol, Washington?

Amazon Prime Video and the Seattle Sounders FC MLS team have announced a new, three-year partnership that makes Prime Video the sole digital streaming destination for all non-nationally televised Sounders FC matches throughout the club’s home broadcast territory (Washington state). The agreement begins August 26 with a match between the Sounders FC and the LA Galaxy and will run through the 2022 MLS season.

It’s the second time Prime Video has reached a streaming agreement with a sports franchise, and it’s the first deal with a professional soccer club.

Related

“At Sounders FC, we often refer to ourselves as a family, and that notion extends to the greater Seattle community. When I think about our hometown, few brands are as closely associated with Seattle’s sense of innovation and ingenuity as Amazon,” Sounders FC Owner Adrian Hanauer said in a statement. “This is a proud day for our club, as we’re now able to bring our fans Sounders FC matches on the world’s premier video streaming service through a company that is synonymous with our city’s culture. On behalf of our organization, I am thrilled to welcome Amazon and Prime Video to the Sounders family.”

Recommended Videos

For everyone in the state of Washington with a Prime membership, this means you’ll be able to watch the Sounders FC content at home or across any number of compatible devices, including Fire TVs, Apple TVs, game consoles, and more. The Sounders FC is the first team with club-specific content available via its dedicated team page. According to an Amazon spokesperson, access to this content will be determined by the zip code of the membership holder.

Amazon previously partnered with the New York Yankees earlier this year to stream 21 games during the 2020 MLB season and has hosted numerous live sporting events in the past, including Thursday Night Football, the Premier League, the U.S. Open, the AVP Beach Volleyball Tour, and others. Additionally, there are several Prime Video channels that offer live sports, like MLB.TV or NBA League Pass. Those channels, however, may require their own subscriptions.

It may not be the biggest agreement as far as the bigger scope of sports and streaming are concerned, but this deal may be an important stepping stone for Amazon to strike deals with other professional teams in the future.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Nick Woodard
Nick Woodard
Former Digital Trends Contributor
  As an A/V Staff Writer at Digital Trends, Nick Woodard covers topics that include 4K HDR TVs, headphones…
Prime Video’s first solo Thursday Night Football NFL game went … fine
Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime Video.

So Amazon Prime Video streamed its first actually exclusive Thursday Night Football game. (That's the name of the show because all shows must be named, in addition to actually being the night on which said football was played. It'd be awkward if TNF was played on Friday, but as we saw in 2020, stranger things have happened.) And because all things must be critiqued in 2022, we're happy to report that it went ... OK.

To be clear, Prime Video is no stranger to streaming football games. It's done so for a number of seasons now on Thursday nights. But those games also have been available elsewhere, either on broadcast channels or on the NFL Network.

Read more
Cut the cord: Quit cable for the best streaming services
The LG G1 Gallery Series OLED TV.

So you want to cut the cord and join the streaming revolution? There are so many on-demand streaming services available now such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, and Disney+ to name a few. Add to that that the growing selection of live TV streaming services, such as Hulu Plus Live TV, Sling TV, ESPN+, and YouTube TV, as well as live HD broadcasts with an antenna. The whole thing can be rather confusing, especially when you're trying to pick the best streaming services for you. We'll walk you through everything you need to know to finally cut the cord and kick cable to the curb.

Not everyone is cut out to be a cord-cutter, though. Ditching your satellite or cable subscription and the bill it carries sounds great in theory, but it's not something you want to rush into without a bit of research. Let's go through the best methods for dropping traditional cable in favor of some of the best streaming services.
First things first: How's your internet?
The thing about internet-delivered TV is that you need a broadband connection that can keep up with the streaming lifestyle. This may seem like a foregone conclusion, but we want to make it clear that if you're going to bet your precious entertainment future on your home network, you had better have a solid internet connection. Netflix and other similar streaming video services suggest a minimum downstream speed of 5Mbps for HD streaming, but if you have inadequate home internet connection (like 5Mbps) that is not going to allow for a smooth streaming service experience, especially when you consider other devices also using the connection. You will likely experience buffering and possible crashing of the show you are streaming, especially for those with families or households streaming more than one show or movie at a time.
High-quality streaming needs higher-speed internet
Of course, if you're looking to get into the streaming big leagues to access the growing array of 4K Ultra HD streaming content available from Netflix, Amazon, Disney+, YouTube, and others, you'll want to kick up your broadband speed to at least 25Mbps. If you're only going to be downloading 4K content from sites like FandangoNow or Ultraflix -- which offer 4K content at speeds as low as 4Mbps to 10Mbps -- 25Mbps will probably suffice, but regardless of which streaming service you select, fast and reliable internet is key to a positive streaming experience.
Peak internet usage time can affect your streaming
We also recommend testing your internet speed at peak streaming hours (between 6 and 10 p.m. on weekdays) to determine if your neighborhood struggles under the strain of heavy traffic. For example, if you routinely get around 10Mbps downloads during the day, but that speed takes a dive to about 3Mbps around dinner time, you'll want to call your internet provider to see if anything can be done. Fortunately, this is an increasingly rare problem outside of rural areas, but better to check ahead.
Check your home network equipment
Don't forget to check your home network equipment. Most modern routers and modems should offer up all the speed you need, but non-gigabit equipment may not suffice for simultaneous 4K streams. Any hiccups in your experience also may be caused by weird technical issues such as improper port forwarding, wireless interference, or other random things that are tricky to track down, some of which we'll attempt to help you troubleshoot. If you're unsure about any of it, be sure to give your internet service provider a call.

Read more
Ouch! Some Amazon Prime members face a 43% price hike
Amazon logo on the headquarters building.

Some Amazon Prime customers in Europe are about to see the cost of their subscription rise by 43%.

According to Reuters, Amazon Prime members in the U.K., for example, have been told the annual fee will increase from 79 British pounds to £95, marking a 20% hike, while the monthly fee will rise from £7.99 to £8.99. Customers in Germany will see a 30% rise in the Prime fee to 89.90 euros, marking a 30% increase on the current annual fee, while Prime members in France face a 43% hike that will push their annual fee of 49 euros to 69.90 euros. Customers in Italy and Spain are also facing similarly steep increases.

Read more