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Amazon adds Premier League matches to Prime Video in UK

It'll be the only place for British fans to watch 20 matches, a first for the tech giant.

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Tottenham Hotspur v Burnley - Premier League

Tottenham Hotspur play Burnley at Wembley Stadium in August 2017. Amazon will make Premier League available on Prime Video in the UK from 2019.

 Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images

Amazon will be the only place for UK Premier League fans to watch 20 matches for the next three years, as the e-commerce giant widened its video ambitions with high-value sports programming in a football-crazed country.  

Amazon has been pouring money into its video-streaming facet of Prime memberships, with its original shows and movies and top-dollar licenses for high-profile sports like National Football League games in the US. 

But unlike Amazon's previous sports-streaming deals, which were live rebroadcasts also available on traditional TV, these Premiere league matches won't be available anywhere except on Amazon. 

The maneuver underscores an ongoing shift in television, as deep-pocketed digital powerhouses Netflix and Amazon ratchet up the competition for prized content versus traditional media giants. 

Terms of the deal weren't disclosed.

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The matches will be available as part of a UK Prime membership, starting next year for the three years, and will bring a full round of Premier League fixtures broadcast live in the UK for the first time. Prime members will have exclusive access to watch 20 matches per season, comprising two full fixture rounds -- the first December midweek and festive Bank Holiday rounds.

In the UK, Amazon Prime is £7.99 a month or £79 a year.

"The Premier League is the most watched sports league in the world," said Jay Marine, Europe's vice president of Prime Video, said in a release. "Over these two December fixture rounds Prime members will be able to watch every team, every game, so no matter which Premier League team you support, you're guaranteed to see them play live on Prime Video."

Originally published at 5:02 a.m. PT. 
Updated at 8:05 am PT: Adds more details and context.