Prime Video to Stream the Final Ten Episodes of ‘Vikings’ Before They Air on History Channel
It seems Amazon has struck an interesting deal for History’s, Vikings. According to Deadline, the e-commerce giant struck a deal where they get an exclusive first-run of the final ten episodes of the historical drama before it hits the cable network. All remaining episodes will debut on Amazon Prime Video on Dec. 30, and will be available in the U.S., UK, Germany, Austria and Ireland.
“Prime Video has already delighted Prime members with all five and a half seasons of Vikings,” said Brad Beale, VP of worldwide content licensing for Prime Video. “On December 30, Prime members in the U.S., UK, Germany, Austria and Ireland will be the first to learn the fates of the beloved characters as the epic drama concludes in the final ten episodes.”
The move comes as History is pivoting from returnable scripted series and putting more focus on limited miniseries, Deadline reports. Vikings was created and written by Michael Hirst, and “is a family saga that tells the tales of the lives and epic adventures of the Nordic raiders and explorers of the Dark Ages.” The first ten episodes of season six aired between December 2019 and February 2020.
Amazon has been making waves lately with its content acquisitions. In October, news came out that Amazon Studios was purchasing Coming 2 America for a whopping $125 million. The acquisition would see the film skipping its theatrical bow and going straight to Amazon Prime Video.
The sequel to the hit 1988 film was originally to hit theaters on Dec. 18, 2020 under Paramount Pictures. However, with the coronavirus pandemic not letting up, adjustments were made and it’ll be on the platform on March 5, 2021 instead.