Amazon is set to launch a dedicated linear channel in two European countries that will offer a curated selection of Prime Video original series, sports and other content, an executive confirmed in an interview.
Speaking with the trade publication DWDL, Prime Video Deutschland Director Christoph Schneider said the channel — called Prime — will be available through the Prime Video app for members in Germany and Austria. The aim of Prime is to help promote shows within the Prime Video app that customers may want to watch.
Prime will contain a limited number of advertisements, Schneider said, but the amount of ads that will air in a given hour will be substantially less than traditional TV networks.
In addition to making it easier for German and Austrian members to find shows to watch, Schneider said Prime was intended to “offer an easy point into our Prime Video universe” through linear content delivery that most TV viewers in Europe are already familiar with.
Streaming platforms are starting to gain ground in key European territories, but linear public service and commercial broadcast TV networks continue to have an outsized influence on the shows and movies that people watch there.
The Prime Video app already offers access to most German and Austrian public service broadcasters, including ARD/Das Erste, ORF and ZDF. The Prime channel will be programmed similar to how those channels operate, with the company running its best programs during prime-time hours.
In that sense, the Prime linear channel will be substantially different from ad-supported content streams found on Pluto TV and others, in that it won’t necessarily offer a playlist of shows that are delivered marathon-style. Instead, Prime will have its own distinct branding and programming strategy that resembles a traditional public service or commercial TV broadcast network in both countries. It will also promote when certain shows air and at what times.
The channel launches on April 17 with new episodes of “LOL: Last One Laughing,” a reality-based competition series that involves ten German comedians competing to see who can make their opponents laugh while trying not to themselves. The show originated in Japan as “Documental” in 2016, with Prime Video franchising the format for a number of international spin-offs, including versions that air in the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, Spain and Mexico.
Other shows that will air on Prime include dubbed versions of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” “Fallout” and “Reacher.”
