- “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Energy” is greater than only a TV present for Amazon.
- Amazon spent almost $500 million simply to make “The Rings of Energy.”
- However the collection is the height of its TV objectives when it comes to making a pipeline to its different choices.
Amazon mentioned that 25 million international viewers watched the primary two episodes of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Energy” of their first day of launch final week — which implies that tens of millions of individuals had been doubtless subjected to different Amazon “experiences.”
That is as a result of “The Rings of Energy” — which Amazon spent almost $500 million to supply and is a Jeff Bezos ardour mission — is not only a TV present for the corporate. It is one other means for it to dominate each facet of our lives.
As a part of the bigger Amazon ecosystem, Prime Video is not only a typical streaming service. It is a part of a grand cross-promotional effort with different Amazon merchandise. In case you obtain a package deal from Amazon, odds are that the field is advertising and marketing an Amazon authentic collection.
“The Rings of Energy” is the height of this effort relating to Amazon’s TV aspirations. It is its greatest collection to date, each when it comes to finances in addition to a pre-existing fanbase and identify recognition.
The present’s web page on Prime Video directs audiences to extra of what Amazon has to supply — from the present’s soundtrack on Amazon Music, to studying the “Lord of the Rings” books on Kindle or listening to them via Audible. The primary audiobook, “Fellowship of the Ring,” is free on Alexa via Oct. 13. And the “Lord of the Rings” and “Hobbit” film trilogies are each accessible on Prime Video with a subscription.
However wait, there’s extra: after watching episodes, followers can get “Lord of the Rings” impressed meals recipes from Alexa after which strive them out via Amazon’s grocery retail service, Amazon Contemporary.
Amazon dropped massive cash on “The Rings of Energy”; past its hefty manufacturing finances, it additionally spent $250 million only for the rights and tens of millions extra on advertising and marketing bills. The whole value for season one has been estimated to be round $1 billion.
Amazon clearly desires Prime Video to be a prime streaming contender. However for tech giants like Amazon and Apple making a splash within the streaming area, they don’t seem to be spending prime greenback simply to rack up extra subscriptions (although that is an added bonus). It is about making a pipeline from streaming, to retail, to different providers.
Disney might be taking a web page from Amazon’s guide in that regard. The Wall Road Journal reported final week that Disney is contemplating a membership program that packages its streaming platforms, parks, and merchandise that’s referred to internally as “Disney Prime.”
Is that the way forward for streaming? Not fairly. Amazon and Apple — and even Disney — are uniquely positioned for dominating so many points of a shopper’s consideration. Netflix is a streaming enterprise; it isn’t seeking to be Amazon.
However Amazon will proceed to increase its affect, together with with reside sports activities — that are at the moment among the many greatest telecasts on conventional broadcast networks.
It is already purchased the rights to Thursday Night time Soccer, a deal that kicked off final month with pre-season video games. (The primary regular-season recreation is subsequent week.) And it is in competition for the NFL Sunday Ticket. Apple is, too, and it is already secured a Friday-night MLB package deal.
Sure, “The Rings of Energy” must be successful to be able to justify Amazon’s exorbitant spending on the collection — and its premiere was already the corporate’s greatest but.
However it might be unwise to think about its success (or, someway, failure) when it comes to a typical TV present, as a result of it isn’t one.