Less than one year after Sports Talk debuted on Amazon Prime Video, the streaming giant is pulling the plug on the daily 12-hour lineup of shows covering all things sports-related.
News of the cancellation was first posted on X (formerly Twitter) by The Athletic’s Richard Deitsch confirming the block will conclude its programming at the end of October.
The move could indicate the streaming giant is refocusing its approach to providing sports coverage. Amazon pays $1.1 billion each year for the streaming rights for Thursday Night Football and the annual Black Friday game, according to Barrett Sports Media. The platform has also invested in sports-centric documentaries and continues streaming some MLB and WNBA games.
Amazon Prime Video was not immediately available for comment on the reported shutdown.
Sports Talk launched last November as a free, ad-supported Amazon Freevee Channel and runs Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET. The block included original sports talk shows to complement Prime Video’s budding venture into streaming premium sports channels, such as Thursday Night Football, NBA League Pass, MLB.TV, and NBA TV.
Amazon had hoped to position Sports Talk as an alternative to daytime sports programming from ESPN and Fox The programming block isn’t the only one affected by cuts, with ESPN having laid off longtime on-air personalities and canceling its flagship national radio show as part of broader cuts from Disney.
For now, Sports Talk’s lineup fills the weekdays with seven series covering sports content, commentary, and recaps. Shows included The Cari Champion Show hosted by Cari Champion, Game Breakers with Eitan Levine and Drexton Clemons, From the Desk of Master T with Master Tesfatsion, The Power Hour with Rennae Stubbs, and The Back Up Plan with Hana Ostapchuk and Jason Spells.
Fans have just over a month to enjoy the channel before Amazon shuts it down permanently.
“The media business is brutal. Wishing the best for those talent creators,” said Deitsch.