Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) big bet on former BBC’s Top Gear casts is already paying off; their new show The Grand Tour having set a new streaming record. The show has unsettled hit series The Man in the High Castle as the most watched premiere, having attracted millions of Prime Members.
The Grand Tour Premiere
According to Amazon, The Grand Tour attracted a record number of Amazon Prime Subscriptions topping all the other days excluding Prime Day Super deals. The company had initially issued a one-day price cut on its Prime membership from $99 to $79. The success all but vindicates Amazon having come under criticism for spending $160 million to bring the trio cast has and produce the new show.
Amazon CEO, Jeff Bezos, is already beaming with excitement given that the show could go a long way in bolstering Amazon streaming business.
“The guys are back, doing what they do best – the chemistry between Jeremy, Richard, and James is what makes ‘The Grand Tour’ so entertaining. Their creativity, along with the amazing production quality and 4K HDR streaming, has Prime members responding in a big way. Kudos and congrats to the whole team.”,” said Mr. Bezos.
The second episode The Grand Tour will air this Friday.
Spending Spree
The Grand Tour provides the e-commerce giant yet another avenue of attracting more people to its Prime program. People who were on the fence about subscribing to the $99 a year Prime program may have a reason to do so, Amazon having showed its willingness to come up with new exciting shows.
Spending on original content as a result is only expected to continue growing as Amazon looks to come up with content that is more original. In July, the e-commerce giant said it would double its spending on original content as it moves to bolster its library. Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) is also on course to spend $6 billion on 1000 hours of original content this year.
Amazon stock was up by $5.33 in Tuesday trading session, closing the day at a high of $785.33 a share