Petition: Make Amazon's Top Gear successor available for streaming worldwide

Isn't 100k like a very very low number for this show?
Not that it matters anyway, it's obvious to me at least that it won't change anything.

If they could - they would. It's a paid service and they want your money.
But just maybe someone from accounting said that the investment in servers, bandwidth and stuff is just too big for the moment just for a show which will last only 2 months a year...
 
There's also the fact that a number of countries have basically passed or interpreted laws to prohibit Amazon Prime, or at least their video operations. Some of that was to protect their national broadcasters, some of it was for other reasons. Either way, I'd guess that it's going to be available everywhere it can be.
 
I frankly would not worry about this. There will be a solution for all who want it I am sure.
 
If nothing else, people can do what Americans had to do for years - buy seasons on DVD or later iTunes after the season was over.
 
If nothing else, people can do what Americans most Non-Brits had to do for years - buy seasons on DVD or later iTunes after the season was over.
Don't think the US was the only place where Top Gear wasn't on air.
 
I wouldn't worry about getting hold of the episodes in North America or Europe. Amazon will be wanting it to reach as many as possible at launch.
 
Isn't it still possible to buy seasons or episodes online, even if it's not streaming? (in non-Prime-Instant-Video countries like Canada)

Or are there absolutely no digital sales at all outside of the 5 or so prime steaming countries?
 
Last edited:
Don't think the US was the only place where Top Gear wasn't on air.

I'm aware of that, just pointing out from personal experience that the fact that you can't watch an episode in the week it's first released because it is not broadcast in your country isn't anything new to vast chunks of the FG membership. Americans and Canadians had to wait, what, a decade or so before we started getting BBC America showing Top Gear in a timely fashion here. As others have pointed out, it is very doubtful that one would not be able to obtain the ep through various... methods... or even be able to purchase the episode on Amazon either in digital download form or in DVD form after a delay.

- - - Updated - - -

Isn't it still possible to buy seasons or episodes online, even if it's not streaming? (in non-Prime-Instant-Video countries like Canada)

Or are there absolutely no digital sales at all outside of the 5 or so prime steaming countries?

Sadly, it depends on national laws for the individual countries. If this show is as popular as Top Gear used to be, it will put pressure on the countries blocking Amazon Instant Video (and the related Prime service) from their citizens that wish to view the show directly.

Failing that, I'd suggest persons in AIV/Prime-hating countries wishing to at least quasi-legally view episodes when they are first released obtain a VPN service and buy Prime. I mean, we'd never tell people to pirate or otherwise break copyright law, right? :rolleyes: We're all perfectly willing to respect copyright law, because to do otherwise invites legal action and is wrong. :rolleyes:
 
Last edited:
If Amazon doesn't want me to buy their show, I will get it from bittorrent.
 
If Amazon doesn't want me to buy their show, I will get it from bittorrent.

I strongly doubt that Amazon doesn't want you to buy the show; it's more likely that Amazon is prevented by local law from streaming it in those countries at the same time as it's going to be first streamed elsewhere. I'm sure you'll be able to buy eps/seasons afterwards if nothing else.
 
I strongly doubt that Amazon doesn't want you to buy the show; it's more likely that Amazon is prevented by local law from streaming it in those countries at the same time as it's going to be first streamed elsewhere. I'm sure you'll be able to buy eps/seasons afterwards if nothing else.

There is nothing in norwegian law that prevents them from streaming it at the same time as in the US.
 
I doubt it's anything to do with local laws, it's just a matter of rights issues. Theoretically they could sell the rights to a local provider but who knows if that'll happen because nothing is guaranteed in this area. I'm not sure what markets Amazon streaming is available in but it sure isn't in New Zealand. It's not as simple as saying "Hey everyone can watch this 1 show" they have to get the whole package ready for the countries it's not available in. You switch on Netflix in different countries and you'll get different content everywhere you go I just don't think Amazon is prepared to expand their service right away just for this 1 show.
 
Late for this thread, but I noticed that a few shows that are exclusive to online services (Transparent and Bosch from Amazon Prime, House of Cards from Netflix) have come out be available for episodic purchase almost a year after they premiered on their online services. The US version of Mad Dogs (Amazon January 2016) or Sense8 (Netflix July 2015) are not yet available for episodic purchase.

So I would think that CHM episodes would possibly / probably be made available to buy around a year after they premier on Amazon Prime.

Which I find really silly. Why not let people pay for it soon after it's available on Amazon? I bet if they offered it up on digital purchase services (iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Instant) for $6-8 per episode they would get buyers if it was soon after airing on Prime, eisspecially since Prime video is not available as widely as Netflix is.

My 2 cents.
 
CHM are not stupid enough to only have it being streamed to a handful of countries.
 
CHM are not stupid enough to only have it being streamed to a handful of countries.

I truly doubt that had anything to do with CHM choosing to sign with Amazon. Money talks, along with some kind of agreement that the money would come without a whole lot of meddling over the trivial nonsense that the BBC hassled them over.
 
I would imagine that Amazon will sell it to local TV networks that wish to show it; it's no different to channel 9 Australia buying it from BBC worldwide to show it; I'm quite sure Amazon will happily sell the show to them and anybody else willing to buy it for their local market, especially if there's no amazon prime footprint there.
 
When Ripper Street went to Amazon only, it aired in Canada on Space...but not until a few months after it had finished airing on Prime. I would not be surprised if that happened here, as well (only with a channel other than Space...).
 
Top