Amazon flexes global muscles

Amazon original The Man in the High Castle

Amazon is gearing up to launch the second season of its original drama The Man in the High Castle worldwide later this month as its SVoD service touts increasing viewership.

New episodes of the adaptation of Philip K Dick’s 1962 alternative-history novel will premiere worldwide on Amazon Prime Video in more than 200 countries and territories on February 10.

This follows Amazon launching its SVoD service around the world at the end of last year, bringing it toe to toe with Netflix as a global streamer.

The Man in the High Castle, which was renewed for a third season earlier this year, explores what might have happened if the Allied powers had lost the Second World War.

Meanwhile, the retail giant has claimed the popularity of its video content is rising sharply, with twice as many hours of its programming watched in 2016 as the year before.

The claim came on a conference call discussing the company’s fourth-quarter earnings yesterday, during which the firm said it would continue to invest in original content.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said the company had added “tens of millions” of Prime customers – those that pay for superfast delivery and a host of other benefits, including access to its streaming service.

Chief financial officer Brian Olsavsky said the global roll-out of Amazon Video at the end of last year would ensure the company got a better return on its investment in shows like Transparent, Mozart in the Jungle and original movies such as Manchester by the Sea, which scored the firm an Oscar nomination last month.