Both Amazon and Netflix have realized that new, exclusive content is a huge selling point for their respective streaming services and to that end, the e-commerce giant has commissioned an extra five TV pilots from Amazon Studios.
The sneaky peak epsiodes will be for five new children’s TV shows which, if successful, will go into full-season production and air exclusively on Prime Instant Video. They are called: Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street, Grid Smasher, Hard-Boiled Eggheads, The Jo B. & G. Raff Show and Wishenpoof!
“For the first time we are offering live-action and animated programming for older children and continuing with entertaining, educational programming for preschool aged children — it’s going to be a lot of fun,” Roy Price, Director of Amazon Studios said.
All of the pilots will be available to stream on Amazon Instant Video and LoveFilm in the United Kingdom where users can watch them, offer feedback and ultimately help decide which ones are given the green light.
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It’s the same format as Amazon’s first foray into TV show pilots, which featured eight comedies and six children’s TV shows. Alpha House, Betas, Annebots, Creative Galaxy and Tumblead were eventually green-lighted and will air exclusively on Prime Instant Video later this year and throughout the early part of 2014. Scheduling for LoveFilm has not yet been announced.
Netflix has found considerable success with its own, exclusive TV shows such as House of Cards, Arrested Development and most recently Orange Is the New Black. This commitment to original content arguably paid off earlier this month when House of Cards was nominated for nine Emmys, including best drama series. Arrested Development took three nominations, while Hemlock Grove took two for music and special effects.
Amazon is yet to find a show with quite the same commercial and critical success – the firm is clearly dedicated to the cause though and by continually producing pilots from Amazon Studios – it stands a fairly good chance of stumbling across a breakout hit.
Image Credit: EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images
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