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Amazon executive chairman Jeff Bezos in attendance before the Kansas City Chiefs play against the Los Angeles Chargers at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Amazon's debut of 'Thursday Night Football' draws mixed reactions

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated Sep 15, 2022 10:38 PM ET

The NFL's broadcast partnership with Amazon on Thursday nights has officially begun.

The Kansas City Chiefs hosted the Los Angeles Chargers in the debut of "Thursday Night Football" on Amazon, featuring several ways to watch the game along with live in-game stats.

With Amazon promising a unique football-watching experience, the big question is, did they deliver?

So far, it looks like Amazon might have some work to do to win over fans.

The most widely voiced complaints aren't new streaming services. Many fans complained of poor picture quality and long periods of buffering.

Really @nfl @primevideo @amazon ?? Fix your crappy stream pic.twitter.com/SKzi6zBVWu
— Ross (@2112_Ross) September 16, 2022

Thursday game is exclusively on Amazon Prime but the video is so low in quality it’s unwatchable. It appears the NFL doesn't give a damn of how it's presented any more. #amazonprime #NFL #tnf pic.twitter.com/21v7CLNrJI
— Earnest Walker Jr (@EarnestWalkerJr) September 16, 2022

Some found that the stream worked better through their phones than the television.

Came to a local sports bar to check the 1st #NFL #Amazon game… so far, a few customers had no idea game was exclusive to Amazon. And then, there’s this…#SportsBiz pic.twitter.com/6E1Gd2SnCB
— Jabari Young (@JabariJYoung) September 16, 2022

Update… guess the phone works better than the TV… #Amazon #NFL pic.twitter.com/6PqpXa9lQo
— Jabari Young (@JabariJYoung) September 16, 2022

Others complained about the lack of atmosphere, saying the game's sounds seemed a bit muted during the broadcast.

One criticism I’ve heard of the @amazon #NFL broadcast tonight: the stadium acoustics feel weird. Not crisp. The sound of the stadium isn't really coming through the way it does on NBC's primetime games. Between snaps it feels dead. It makes the broadcast feel a little lethargic.
— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) September 16, 2022

Only critique about the Amazon Prime NFL broadcast: the audio is flat. Level feels a little low on the ambient/crowd side. Other than that, it's been a joy to watch the all 22/next-gen feed.
— John Ellis (@1PantherPlace) September 16, 2022

Amazon broadcast has less energy. Can't explain why, doesn't make sense
— Arif Hasan, not a psyop ‍ (@ArifHasanNFL) September 16, 2022

While Amazon's broadcast had its fair share of critics, some reactions were positive.

Initial thoughts about game being on Amazon: Stream is terrific. I like the new personalities. I'm reserved about Herbie but open to listening. The Prime Video app doesn't let me browse my phone with the game in smaller side window. But it's also on Twitch which lets me.
— NFL Philosophy (@NFLosophy) September 16, 2022

Can Amazon just broadcast all the games? I'm loving the different broadcast options and features.
— Corbin K. Smith (@CorbinSmithNFL) September 16, 2022

Honestly, the NFL should just let Amazon take over NFL+ because this streaming experience looks great so far.
— Charles Goldman (@goldmctNFL) September 16, 2022

@NFLonPrime All-22 broadcast is awesome. Not going back to the traditional view. Love the wide view and the graphics are like gaming. #Amazon #PrimeVideo #NFL #NextGenStats #PrimeVision pic.twitter.com/0KUb2zhmw6
— Joel Embiid is the Real MVP (@KheeLee) September 16, 2022

Amazon's Thursday night broadcast will continue next week with another rivalry game featuring the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Cleveland Browns.

There are still 13 more Thursday night broadcasts this season; you can find the rest of the schedule here.

Mike Santa Barbara

Mike Santa Barbara is a Wilmington, Delaware native (Yes, it's a real place) with over a decade of sports writing experience. A diehard Philadelphia sports fan, he has two dogs named after Flyers and cried real tears when the Eagles won Super Bowl LII. You can follow him on Twitter at @mike__sb

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