Amazon Prime Video’s Hopkins on Sports Strategy and Streaming Ecosystem

Amazon Prime Video is positioning itself as a unique player in the streaming landscape, with sports content becoming an increasingly vital component of its business model, according to Mike Hopkins, Head of Amazon Prime Video.

Speaking with CNBC’s Julia Boorstin on “Closing Bell Overtime,” Hopkins emphasized that Amazon’s approach differs significantly from competitors like Netflix. “We like to think of ourselves as playing a much different game than most other streamers,” Hopkins said. “When you think of what we have, we offer live sports, we offer original programming, news… but in addition to that, we’ve got the world’s largest selection of rent and buy movies.”

This diversified content strategy is central to Amazon’s ambition to become “people’s first choice entertainment destination when they turn to streaming,” according to Hopkins.

The advertising business has become a significant revenue driver for Amazon Prime Video since launching ads in January 2023. According to estimates cited by Boorstin from Morgan Stanley, Amazon brought in over $3 billion in ad revenue last year and is projected to more than double that figure to over $7 billion next year.

Sports content has emerged as a cornerstone of both Amazon’s content and advertising strategies. “Sports is a major part of that,” Hopkins noted, highlighting Amazon’s portfolio of sports rights that includes NASCAR, NBA games starting this fall, and Thursday Night Football in the US, along with international properties like Champions League throughout Europe, football in Latin America, and the French Open.

When asked about potential tariffs on non-US made films recently proposed by the Biden administration, Hopkins expressed a desire for industry dialogue with policymakers. “We’re looking forward to talks with the administration to understand what the issues are and how we can solve them,” he said, emphasizing the entertainment industry’s $15 billion trade surplus and support of 2.3 million US jobs.

Hopkins pointed to Amazon’s existing US production footprint, noting, “We’re here in Culver City. I’ve got soundstages right behind me where we’re shooting a movie today. So we do a lot of production here in California and around the United States already.”

As Amazon heads into its second upfront presentation to advertisers next week, Hopkins remains optimistic despite concerns about economic headwinds. “Advertising is cyclical,” he acknowledged, but added, “We had a big year last year. We’re expecting another big increase in revenue in 2026 and rest of 2025.”

The company’s advertising proposition has evolved significantly, with Hopkins highlighting Amazon’s ability to offer solutions across the marketing funnel. “Now with Prime Video, with the scale that we have, you’ve got the upper funnel for brand advertisers all the way to the performance marketing you would get on Amazon.com,” he explained, adding that the company is increasingly implementing “shop to show” functionality within the Prime Video app.

As streaming competition intensifies, Amazon’s strategy of combining original content, sports rights, transactional video, and advertising appears designed to differentiate itself in an increasingly crowded marketplace.

*Source: CNBC’s “Closing Bell Overtime” interview with Mike Hopkins, Head of Amazon Prime Video*