Amazon may not be in it for the long term but its investment in Autumn Nations Cup is likely to prompt interest from others
There has been little cheer for unions and clubs this year as restrictions imposed by the pandemic have reduced cash flow to a trickle, prompted wage cuts and led to a run on reserves, but Amazon’s £20m involvement in the Autumn Nations Cup, which starts on Friday night when
Ireland face Wales in
Dublin, is being seen as a lifeline.
After a decade in which television and sponsorship deals have failed to cash in on the game’s popularity, according to a report published this month by a leading sports analytics company, Nielsen Sports, will Amazon’s first foray into rugby help generate a bidding war for the rights to the Six Nations from 2022 and the autumn window in Europe?