Amazon ‘eyes Oz SVOD launch’

Amazon could use the launch of its new Top Gear rival motoring show to launch its SVOD service in Australia, according to local press.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Amazon is weighing the launch of its Prime Instant Video service in Australia, and could time a rollout to coincide with the launch of the as-yet-unnamed motoring series from former Top Gear presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May.

Top Gear is popular in Australia, where the original UK version is on free-to-air net Nine and pay TV platform Foxtel. A local version runs on SBS.

Amazon’s TV service is currently only available in the US, UK and Germany. The tech firm has been investing heavily in acquired and original content, and been widely tipped to expand its international SVOD footprint.

The Sydney Morning Herald cited industry sources, and said Amazon is ‘considering’ an SVOD roll out in Australia. It has discussed rights deals with studios, the paper added.

Amazon’s chief SVOD rival Netflix has quickly built a substantial subscriber base in Australia, where is numerous streaming services including Presto and Stan.

Australian consumers can also access Prime Instant Video via a virtual private network, which allows users to mask their identities and locations.

Netflix recently said it was planning to stamp out use of VPNs.