Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Champions League
Josh Lawless
The Champions League returns and will see an all-new level of broadcast coverage from Amazon Prime Video's new 'FIFA-style' features.
The streaming giant signed a three-year, £450 million deal to show the Champions League back in 2024 and have the rights to show 17 games per season.
They kick off 2025/26 proceedings in a big way as Europa League winners Spurs take on Villarreal in their first fixture in the competition since 2023.
Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick and Dimitar Berbatov will all be on punditry duty for the league phase game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium but the match, available for free for those with a Prime subscription, will also be the debut for 'Prime Vision' - Amazon's game-changing approach to the casual viewing experience.
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The concept, an alternate feed delivering statistics, insights and graphics in real-time, has been used extremely successfully in Prime's NFL broadcasts for three years.
It will now be rolled out at the highest level of European football in the United Kingdom, with the optional feed including a player name bar as seen on EA Sports FC, as well as their running speed, pass distances, shot speed, jump height, the three most likely passes, xG of opportunities on goal as well as xPass and XSave - and an AI-led algorithm to calculate and display live “momentum" and the possibility of a team scoring within 10 seconds.
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The data will be overlaid onto the screen for those that want it, while there is also the opportunity to watch the game like coaches do with a tactical map which shows the positions of all 22 players in real-time.
The standard monthly cost for an Amazon Prime membership is £8.99, but you can get a 30-day free trial before committing. There are also discounts for students or the option of a discounted annual cost of £95.
£8.99
Free
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"Prime Vision combines the best of Amazon’s world class production and technology experience to raise the bar for football fans and offer something meaningfully different,” Alex Green, the managing director of Prime Video Sport international, commented.
“European football is unique, and we are going to take the time to listen to fans and add functionality in the years to come, alongside the learnings we have with Prime Vision from other sports.
"Prime Vision allows us to experiment and test an all-new broadcast whilst preserving the main broadcast experience that is enjoyed by millions of households on Prime Video.”
In the US, Prime Vision claimed an Emmy for outstanding interactive experience in 2023 and Amazon's NFL coverage increased by 11%.
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The hope is that the same will happen in the Champions League, where Amazon also have Liverpool's visit of Galatasaray on 30 September.
Audience is strong, with four of Amazon's Champions League games last season reaching more than 5 million.