Lovefilm snags more Vikings

Amazon’s UK streaming service Lovefilm has bought rights to season two of drama series Vikings.

The deal gives Lovefilm exclusive rights to the show and the agreement mean it will bypass free-to-air television in the first instance. It will latterly play on the History pay TV channel in the UK at an as yet undisclosed date.

Lovefilm said that it will show episodes from season two, in high definition, within 24 hours of its airing in the US on the cable channel History.

The ten-episode series will debut on Lovefilm in the UK on February 28 with subsequent instalments at weekly intervals thereafter.

The Norse epic is produced and distributed by MGM and has proved popular on History where it aired after hit series The Bible in a Sunday night slot.

Chris Ottinger, president, international television distribution and acquisitions for MGM said: “We are excited to further our relationship with Lovefilm to bring the highly-anticipated second season of Vikings to their subscribers in 2014, and offering the opportunity to stream the latest episodes within 24 hours of the US airdate, watching every epic battle in high-definition.”

In the US, Amazon took streaming rights to season one of the series for its Prime Instant Video service.