Amazon’s Duke deal hits immediate snag as Big Ten pushes back on Michigan game

Amazon's Prime Video struck a deal with Duke to stream a series of three non‑conference college basketball games (vs. UConn, Michigan and Gonzaga), marking a strategic push into live college sports. The agreement immediately hit a snag: the Big Ten disputes Amazon's right to broadcast the Duke–Michigan game due to conference television-rotation rules and existing Big Ten/FOX rights. Duke obtained ESPN approval by committing to additional ESPN-owned neutral-site events in 2027–28 and 2028–29, but the Michigan matchup may require a six-figure payment to the Big Ten, FOX to assume production rights, or replacement of Michigan on the slate. The dispute underscores execution and rights-cost risks for Amazon as it experiments in sports streaming; market impact on AMZN.OQ is likely limited near-term but highlights potential content/license expense and regulatory/partner friction if Prime scales further into live sports.