Amazon Announces New In-Season Content Licensing Agreement with PBS to Bring Original Civil War-Era Drama "Mercy Street" to Prime Members

Prime members will have access to each episode of Mercy Street just seven days after airing on PBS stations at no additional charge to their membership

SEATTLE -- Jan. 14, 2016 -- (NASDAQ:AMZN) -- Amazon and PBS today announced an in-season content licensing agreement to make Prime Video the exclusive premium subscription streaming home for the new PBS original series Mercy Street, with each episode available to Prime members in the U.S. seven days after broadcast on PBS stations. In addition, all customers can today stream the first episode of the Civil War-era drama series on Amazon Video at no cost, starting three days before its broadcast premiere, via the Amazon Video app for TVs, connected devices or mobile devices, or online at www.amazon.com/amazonvideo. For a list of all Amazon Video compatible devices visit www.amazon.com/howtostream.

"Prime members love PBS period dramas like Downton Abbey and Mr. Selfridge and fans of those great shows are going to really enjoy Mercy Street," said Brad Beale, Vice President of Digital Video Content Acquisition for Amazon. "We are also excited to bring each episode of Mercy Street to Prime Video only seven days after it broadcasts on PBS stations. Prime members have valued having in-season access to shows like Extant and Under the Dome and we're thrilled to provide even more in-season availability with PBS' Mercy Street."

"We're thrilled to premiere Mercy Street on local PBS stations, as it is a wonderful illustration of the high-quality dramatic and historical programming that is a hallmark of our work," said Beth Hoppe, Chief Programming Officer and General Manager, General Audience Programming, PBS. "This collaboration with Amazon showcases Mercy Street to Prime Video members, bringing new fans to the series and our stations."

Executive produced by Ridley Scott (The Martian, The Man in the High Castle), David W. Zucker (The Good Wife, The Man in the High Castle), Lisa Q. Wolfinger (Desperate Crossing, The Untold Story of the Mayflower) and David Zabel (ER), Mercy Street, set on the Civil War home front of Virginia in the spring of 1862, follows the lives of two volunteer nurses on opposite sides of the conflict; Mary Phinney (Mary Elizabeth Winstead of The Returned and The Spectacular Now), a staunch New England abolitionist, and Emma Green (Hannah James of Winding Lane), a naive young Confederate belle. Political persuasions open a window into a world where the unprecedented medical demands create a chaotic atmosphere and challenge doctors, nurses and patients in unimaginable ways, while the pressure of Union occupation threatens to tear apart the Confederate family.

Based on both historical and composite characters, Mercy Street also stars Josh Radnor (How I Met Your Mother) as Dr. Jedediah Foster, Gary Cole (Veep, The Good Wife) as James Green, Sr., Norbert Leo Butz (Bloodline) as Dr. Byron Hale, Tara Summers (You're The Worst, Boston Legal) as nurse Anne Hastings, Peter Gerety (Syriana, Charlie Wilson's War) as Chief Surgeon Alfred Summers, and Anna Sophia Robb (The Carrie Diaries, The Bridge to Terebithia) as Alice Green.

The six-episode Civil War drama series premieres on PBS stations on January 17, 2016, directly following Downton Abbey on Masterpiece. Prime members can view episodes of Mercy Street seven days after each episode airs via the Amazon Video app for TVs, connected devices and mobile devices, or online at www.amazon.com/primevideo. Prime members can also download the series for offline viewing on compatible iOS, Android and Fire devices at no additional cost. Customers can find a list of Amazon Video compatible devices here: www.amazon.com/howtostream. Customers who are not already Prime members can sign up for a free 30-day trial at amazon.com/prime.

About Amazon Video

Amazon Video offers customers unlimited access to tens of thousands of movies and TV episodes, including award-winning Amazon Original Series, through Amazon Prime; monthly subscriptions to SHOWTIME, STARZ, and more; and hundreds of thousands of titles including new-release movies and current TV shows for rent or purchase.

The entire range of selection can be instantly accessed through the Amazon Video app on TVs, streaming media players, mobile devices, Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, and Fire tablets, or online at Amazon.com/amazonvideo. For a list of all Amazon Video compatible devices visit www.amazon.com/howtostream.

Prime Video, included in Amazon Prime, enables Prime members to enjoy binge-worthy TV shows including Amazon Original Series airing now such as the multi-Golden Globe-winning and Emmy-nominated series Transparent, the multi-Golden Globe winning series from Roman Coppola and Jason Schwartzman, Mozart in the Jungle, the breakout hit The Man in the High Castle, based on Philip K. Dick's novel, the hour-long drama Bosch, based on Michael Connelly's best-selling books, and the comedy created by and starring Rob Delaney and Sharon Horgan, Catastrophe, in addition to HBO favorites like The Sopranos, True Blood and Girls, and popular primetime series including 24, Downton Abbey, Extant, Falling Skies, Grimm, Hannibal, Justified, Orphan Black, Teen Wolf, The Americans, and Under the Dome. Prime members also have access to an exclusive collection of kids shows now airing including Amazon Original Series' Annedroids, Gortimer Gibbon's Life on Normal Street and the Annecy, Annie and multi-Emmy Award-winning Tumble Leaf, as well as popular shows from Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. including SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, Team Umizoomi, and Blue's Clues. Customers who are not already Prime members can sign up for a free trial at www.amazon.com/primevideo.

More to Prime

Amazon Prime is an annual membership program for $99 a year that offers customers unlimited Free Two-Day Shipping on more than 20 million items across all categories, unlimited Free Same-Day Delivery on more than a million items in 16 metro areas, unlimited streaming of tens of thousands of movies and TV episodes with Prime Video, more than one million songs and thousands of curated playlists and stations with Prime Music, early access to select Lightning Deals all year long, free secure, unlimited photo storage in Amazon Cloud Drive with Prime Photos and access to more than one million books to borrow with the Kindle Owners' Lending Library. In addition, Prime members in more than 20 metro areas receive one- and two-hour delivery through Prime Now on tens of thousands of items through a mobile app. Not a member? Start a free trial of Amazon Prime at amazon.com/prime.

About Amazon

Amazon.com opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995. The company is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit www.amazon.com/about.

About PBS

PBS, with 350 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and online content. Each month, PBS reaches more than 103 million people through television and over 33 million people online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS' broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry's most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. PBS' premier children's TV programming and its website, pbskids.org, are parents' and teachers' most trusted partners in inspiring and nurturing curiosity and love of learning in children. More information about PBS is available at www.pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the Internet, or by following PBS on Twitter, Facebook or through our apps for mobile devices. Specific program information and updates for press are available at pbs.org/pressroom or by following PBS Pressroom on Twitter.