(NASDAQ:AMZN)—Amazon.com, Inc. today announced a content licensing
agreement with Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution that will
make Prime Instant Video the exclusive online-only subscription home for
streaming all past episodes of popular period drama The Americans.
Prime members can experience all the tension and intrigue of the first
season anytime, from hundreds of connected devices, just in time for the
February 26th return of the series on FX.
The critically acclaimed spy thriller made it onto 36 Top Ten lists
published at the end of 2013, ranking sixth on the overall scorecard
behind only five other hit shows. The AFI named it one of the year’s
most outstanding shows and it picked up the prestigious Television
Critics Association Award for the most outstanding new program of the
year as well. Produced by Fox Television Studios and FX Productions, the
series stars Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys as married KGB spies posing
as Americans in suburban Washington D.C. in the early 1980s.
“The Americans is simply an exceptional television drama that
delivers riveting storylines and outstanding performances,” said Brad
Beale, Director of Digital Video Content Acquisition for Amazon. “We are
excited to bring this great series to Prime Instant Video. The
Americans is a welcome addition to our growing lineup of exclusive
content and we know that Prime members will love catching up on season
one in advance of the new season.”
“We’re incredibly proud of The Americans, and are excited to
offer old and new fans of the show an innovative, yet simple way to
access season one in its entirety before the premiere of season two on
FX,” said Gina Brogi, Executive Vice President Worldwide Pay TV and
SVOD, Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution.
As part of the deal, Prime customers will also have access to additional
programming, including popular comedies How I Met Your Mother, It’s
Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The League, Louie and Archer.
Beginning next month, all five shows will be available for streaming via
Prime Instant Video.
Created and executive produced by Joe Weisberg (Falling Skies), a
former CIA agent who went on to become an accomplished author, The
Americans is produced by Fox Television Studios and FX Productions.
Joel Fields and Graham Yost are also executive producers, along with
Amblin Television heads Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank.
Prime Instant Video Exclusives
Prime Instant Video is the exclusive online-only subscription home for
PBS series Downton Abbey and Mr. Selfridge, the CBS summer
blockbuster series Under the Dome and Extant, and other
hit TV series including Veronica Mars, Justified, Falling
Skies, Grimm, Vikings, Workaholics, Suits
and Covert Affairs. Prime Instant Video also offers an exclusive
collection of kids shows from Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. that customers
won’t find on any other online-only subscription service, including
favorites like SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer,
Team Umizoomi, Blue’s Clues, and The Bubble Guppies.
Airing now, Amazon’s first original series Alpha House and Betas
can be found exclusively on Prime Instant Video as well. To sign up for
Amazon Prime Instant Video, visit www.amazon.com/primeinstantvideo.
Amazon Prime members will be able to enjoy the episodes on hundreds of
compatible Amazon Instant Video devices including Kindle Fire HDX,
Kindle Fire HD, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Roku, Xbox, PlayStation and
the Wii. Prime Instant Video is the only U.S. online subscription
streaming service that enables offline viewing—on a plane, on vacation,
and anywhere else where you may not have Wi-Fi. Customers can download
tens of thousands of Prime Instant Videos to their new Kindle Fire HD or
Kindle Fire HDX.
About Amazon Instant Video
Amazon Instant Video is a digital video streaming and download service
that offers Amazon customers the ability to rent, purchase or subscribe
to a huge catalog of videos. Customers can choose from more than 150,000
titles to purchase or rent—movies range from new releases to classic
favorites, and Amazon Instant Video offers major television shows,
entire seasons, or even day after air TV. Prime Instant Video is
Amazon’s video subscription offer—it includes tens of thousands of
movies and TV episodes selected from the full assortment available at
Amazon Instant Video.
About Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle,
opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth’s
Biggest Selection. Amazon.com, Inc. seeks to be Earth’s most
customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything
they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the
lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and other sellers offer millions of
unique new, refurbished and used items in categories such as Books;
Movies, Music & Games; Digital Downloads; Electronics & Computers; Home
& Garden; Toys, Kids & Baby; Grocery; Apparel, Shoes & Jewelry; Health &
Beauty; Sports & Outdoors; and Tools, Auto & Industrial. Amazon Web
Services provides Amazon’s developer customers with access to
in-the-cloud infrastructure services based on Amazon’s own back-end
technology platform, which developers can use to enable virtually any
type of business. Kindle Paperwhite is the world’s best-selling and most
advanced e-reader. It features new display technology with higher
contrast, the next generation built-in light, a faster processor, the
latest touch technology, and exclusive new features designed from the
ground up for readers. Kindle, the lightest and smallest Kindle,
features improved fonts and faster page turns. The new Kindle Fire HDX
features a stunning exclusive 7” or 8.9” HDX display, a quad-core 2.2
GHz processor, 2x more memory, and 11 hours of battery life, as well as
exclusive new features of Fire OS 3.0 including X-Ray for Music, Second
Screen, Prime Instant Video downloads, and the revolutionary new Mayday
button. The all-new Kindle Fire HD includes an HD display,
high-performance processor and dual speakers at a breakthrough price.
Amazon and its affiliates operate websites, including www.amazon.com,
www.amazon.co.uk,
www.amazon.de,
www.amazon.co.jp,
www.amazon.fr,
www.amazon.ca,
www.amazon.cn,
www.amazon.it,
www.amazon.es,
www.amazon.com.br,
www.amazon.in,
www.amazon.com.mx,
and www.amazon.com.au.
As used herein, “Amazon.com,” “we,” “our” and similar terms include
Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates
otherwise.
Forward-Looking Statements
This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning
of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly
from management's expectations. These forward-looking statements involve
risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to
competition, management of growth, new products, services and
technologies, potential fluctuations in operating results, international
expansion, outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment and
data center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements,
acquisitions and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system
interruption, inventory, government regulation and taxation, payments
and fraud. More information about factors that potentially could affect
Amazon.com's financial results is included in Amazon.com's filings with
the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual
Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings.
20th Century Fox Television Distribution
A unit of 21st Century Fox, Twentieth Century Fox Television
Distribution is a global leader in the distribution of award-winning
motion pictures, television programming and entertainment content across
pay-TV, broadcast television and SVOD. Twentieth Century Fox Television
Distribution connects audiences around the world with premium content
from the production divisions of Twentieth Century Fox Films, Twentieth
Century Fox Television, FX and FBC as well as other 21st Century Fox
companies.
Copyright Business Wire 2014