As Amazon leans into content through Prime Video, MGM, Freevee and live sports, the company said that its 2023 content spend totaled $18.9 billion.
Amazon spent $16.6 billion on content in 2022, “approximately $7 billion” of which was spent on “Amazon originals, live sports and licensed third- party video content included with Prime.” The company did not break out that figure for 2023.
2023 was a pivotal year for Prime Video, with the company launching its first Black Friday game with the NFL, and with its Thursday Night Football slate seeing ratings rise. At the same time, 2023 was the first full year that the company owned MGM, giving it a platform for new movies and TV shows.
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On the company’s Q4 earnings call Thursday, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said that the company has “increasing conviction that Prime Video can be a large and profitable business on its own.”
“And we’ll continue to invest in compelling exclusive content for Prime members like Thursday Night Football and Lord of the Rings, Reacher, Mr and Mrs. Smith, Citadel and more,” he added.
Also on the call, Amazon’s CFO said that content spend rose in Q4 due to new sports rights in the U.K. and other markets, but that the company still believes the investment is worth it given the response from consumers.
2023 also saw the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, which caused content spend at other companies like Disney and Netflix to decline slightly in 2023.
