Amazon announced Monday the launch of its new unit Amazon MGM Studios Distribution, which will allow the company to license Amazon Originals and other titles to third-party media companies, which could include streaming services (free, ad-supported or subscription) and cable TV.
For the first time, titles such as “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” “Coming 2 America,” “Goliath,” “Hunters,” “The Tender Bar,” “The Tomorrow War,” “The Voyeurs” and “Without Remorse,” among others, will be sold to other media outlets following their initial run on Prime Video.
While the company has distributed shows before, this new venture will be on a much larger scale. Plus, Amazon Originals are mainly exclusive to Prime Video, making it an enticing sale for companies looking to have popular titles on their platforms.
Warner Bros. Discovery made a similar move in January when it struck deals with Roku and Tubi to license 2,000 hours of content, bringing titles like “Westworld,” “The Bachelor” and “Cake Boss” to free ad-supported (FAST) streaming services.
The launch of Amazon MGM Studios Distribution will also allow the company to handle sales of MGM-owned franchises James Bond, Rocky and Creed, as well as “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Fargo” and “Vikings.” Last year, Amazon acquired MGM for $8.5 billion, giving the company access to more than 4,000 films and 17,000 TV series.
“The launch of Amazon MGM Studios Distribution reinforces our commitment to bringing the very best content to audiences everywhere worldwide,” Jen Salke, Amazon Studios head, said in a statement. “With the integration of MGM, we wanted to take advantage of the existing team to expand our business in ways that will greatly benefit our customers around the world.”
Later this month, buyers will be introduced to Amazon MGM Studios Distribution at the L.A. Screenings, an international TV marketplace.
According to Chris Ottinger, who will lead Amazon MGM Studios Distribution, the unit will offer flexible bundles, reported Deadline, so sellers can create bundled content packages that work for them. This strategy will likely allow the company to stand out from competitors.
The news comes a week after Amazon announced plans to bring hundreds of Amazon Original titles — including “Reacher,” “The Terminal List” and “Goliath” — to its ad-supported free streaming service Amazon Freevee.
Amazon also introduced new Fire TV Channels, which will allow users to access more FAST channels, like NHL, Tastemade Travel, TMZ and more.