Amazon Prime Video has enlisted the popular sports and comedy group Dude Perfect to host an alternate Thursday Night Football broadcast, titled “TNF With Dude Perfect.”
Dude Perfect, a group of five former Texas A&M college roommates known for their comedy routines and trick shots, quickly grew into a social media sensation since their inception in 2009, garnering over 85 million combined followers on TikTok, YouTube and Instagram. The OTT telecast provides a unique opportunity for Amazon Prime Video to reach various audiences, and the company hopes The Dudes will bring along their millions of fans.
Dude Perfect’s Tyler Toney, Garrett Hilbert, Cody Jones and twins Cory and Coby Cotton intend to predict plays during the games from their 30,000-square foot studio in Frisco, Texas, while incorporating slapstick and special guests into the streams. The alternate broadcast appears to be Amazon’s own version of ESPN’s Manningcast.
Amazon’s regular Thursday Night football streams will feature Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit in the booth and Kaylee Hartung on the sidelines. But the company confirmed today that Dude Perfect, originally developed in 2009, will periodically stream an alternative Thursday Night Football telecast.
“We don’t want to be gimmicky, we want to reach new fans and really build long-term relationships with them,” Marie Donoghue, Amazon’s VP of global sports video, told Forbes. “…Given the opportunity to bring The Dudes’ unbridled joy and infectious energy to Thursday Night Football, it’s a real opportunity to differentiate our broadcast, and we’re also looking forward to welcoming their entire community, fans and family members to this alternative viewing experience.”
Amazon also plans to integrate a data-tracking X-ray tool on its broadcasts, as it seeks emerging technology. According to Donoghue, Amazon Prime Video will stream at least two alternative Thursday Night game broadcasts each week and are on the verge of announcing those hosts later in August. Reports are that emerging media personality Pat McAfee may be enlisted to lead a so-called “McAfee-Cast” and that former Saints quarterback Drew Brees—recently let go by NBC Sports—could host a “QBs only” show coinciding with the game .
Amazon Prime Video’s debuts its Thursday Night Football on Sept. 15 when the Kansas City Chiefs played the Los Angeles Chargers. Overall, the company will carry 15 exclusive games, the first time ever that the NFL will exclusively stream games weekly over the course of a season.