Manchester United have withdrawn from secret talks over a record-breaking Amazon Prime access-all-areas documentary next season after concluding it could distract from the progress of the first team.
According to sources briefed on the matter, who remain anonymous to protect business relationships, United spent several months negotiating a deal with Amazon towards the end of the 2024-25 campaign.
Amazon’s offer was significantly more than £10million ($13.64m) and would have been its largest ever payment to a club for an “All or Nothing” series having previously broadcast editions on Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur.
But despite United’s most senior executives being across the discussions, the plug was pulled earlier this summer.
It was to a significant extent because head coach Ruben Amorim made clear he was not comfortable with the potential intrusion on the first team while aspects of the commercial agreement and the time pressure of the upcoming season were factors, too.
United presented the proposal to Amorim after the end of the season and, having received his feedback, the board received a unified recommendation at its Executive Committee to drop the idea.
United’s financial needs have been widely reported, with debt standing at more than £700m and no European competition next season.
In March, co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe claimed United were in danger of running out of cash and going bust by Christmas had they not carried out a range of cost-cutting measures, including up to 450 redundancies.
Commercial income has also suffered, with a new training kit sponsor yet to be announced following the expiry of an agreement with blockchain platform Tezos.
Hotel chain Marriott has not renewed its partnership, either. There has been a recent boost, however, as Apollo Tyres extended an endorsement by three years and, according to Old Trafford sources, there are more lined up.
The Amazon proposal would have lightened financial concerns and United’s business side, including INEOS and the club’s chief executive Omar Berrada, were supportive of it.
Upon being informed of the potential arrangement, Amorim who has experienced a difficult start to life at United made clear he did not believe such a project to be appropriate or beneficial to the first team at present.
He felt it would be an unwelcome distraction in an environment that has had many problems in recent years.
Any television show would have needed buy-in from the players, as Amazon would have gained near unlimited access, and this was never likely to be realistic without Amorim convincing them of its merits.
