Amazon will stream original series The Grand Tour, hosted by Jeremy Clarkson and his former Top Gear on-air colleagues James May and Richard Hammond, in more than 200 countries, even though its video services are currently only available in a few markets.
Clarkson & Co. unveiled the news in a YouTube video on Wednesday, ahead of the show’s Friday launch to Amazon Prime subscribers in the U.S., U.K., Germany, Austria and Japan.
They said they received an Amazon package and letter saying the show will become available in more than 200 countries in the coming weeks. “When the Grand Tour launches worldwide, everyone will be able to catch up on the show … to date and then get a brand new episode every Friday on Amazon,” the letter said.
The company didn’t immediately explain if the show will be an early experiment for rolling out its video service globally or if such a global launch, similar to Netflix’s at the start of the year, was imminent. Asked about a possible global launch, a representative reiterated that The Grand Tour would stream in more than 200 countries, but added: “We don’t have anything else to announce.”
“Amazon is committed to bringing Prime members programming that is unique and exciting,” said Conrad Riggs, head of unscripted for Amazon Originals. “We are thrilled to bring back together the world’s beloved hosting team of Clarkson, Hammond and May for extraordinary adventures that can only be seen on Amazon Prime Video.”
