Four takeaways from Duke basketball's multi-year partnership with Amazon

Four takeaways from Duke basketball's multi-year partnership with Amazon originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Duke Blue Devils basketball program will have a new broadcast partner next season. Amazon Video has inked a new agreement with the school, which includes broadcasting three neutral site men’s college basketball games to open the 2026-27 season.

Duke has worked on marketing the program around the ACC Network that's currently supported by ESPN. While this seems to break away from a traditional offering, it's a redirection under a new platform.

Here are four takeaways from Amazon's deal with Duke.

The Blue Devils have a new NIL avenue

When the updated figures come out for NIL, Duke should see a significant boost. Adding Amazon Video, especially the games that were added, is not a minor detail. Here's what's going to be on the streaming schedule later this year.

UConn (Las Vegas), 11/25
Michigan (NYC at MSG), 12/21
Gonzaga (Detroit), 2/20

These are all huge games with big price tags. Amazon buying up the rights to Duke's broadcast allows them to cash in. The non-traditional deal will be one of the first on the books in this new era.

Amazon's first jump into live collegiate programming is a hit

The major streaming platform has done bigger events in the NFL, but this is the first venture into college sports. What better way to break onto the ground floor than with Duke? This could open the door to a similar approach NBC has with Notre Dame.