Amazon Orders Original Kids Series "Thunderbirds Are Go"

Amazon orders four seasons of the new series, which is a reinvention of the 50-year-old classic Thunderbirds series; Rosamund Pike to star as Lady Penelope

SEATTLE -- Feb. 10, 2016 -- (NASDAQ:AMZN) -- Amazon today announced it has ordered four 13-episode seasons of new Amazon Original Kids Series Thunderbirds Are Go to debut on Prime Video in the US. Thunderbirds Are Go is a reinvention of the 50-year-old classic Thunderbirds, and features the world's most famous family of heroes, International Rescue, and Rosamund Pike (The World's End, Gone Girl) as Lady Penelope. The first season is scheduled to debut on Prime Video in the US later this year and will subsequently air on Prime Video in the UK, Germany and Austria, following a deal with ITV Studios Global Entertainment.

Thunderbirds Are Go catapults the five brave Tracy brothers back onto television screens, where they'll pilot their vehicles from the depths of the oceans to the highest reaches of space, performing impossible rescues across the globe. Produced by ITV Studios and Pukeko Pictures in collaboration with world-famous Weta Workshop, the series is made using a unique mixture of CGI animation and live-action model sets. Thunderbirds Are Go will deliver a new level of action-adventure animation for today's audience while paying tribute to the legacy of model locations from the original series.

"We're thrilled to be collaborating with ITV Studios Global Entertainment on a world-renowned property that kids and families today will embrace," said Tara Sorensen, Head of Kids Programming at Amazon Studios. "Our customers will enjoy the same action and adventure found on the classic series infused with a contemporary aesthetic and visually stunning world."

"We are delighted to be working with Amazon to launch Thunderbirds Are Go in the US; their position as an innovative content provider and their passion for the show makes them the perfect partner," added Dan Gopal, EVP EMEA Distribution and Global Digital Partners for ITV Studios Global Entertainment. "Our strategy is to give audiences the flexibility to watch our content any time, any place, and the launch of Thunderbirds Are Go on Amazon Prime Video means children and families across the US, as well as in the UK, Germany and Austria, will be able to watch the entire series whenever and wherever they want."

Thunderbirds Are Go is executive produced by Estelle Hughes (Driver Dan's Story Train), Giles Ridge (Pocoyo), Richard Taylor (The Lord of the Rings), and Andrew Smith (District 9), written by Rob Hoegee (Generator Rex, Teen Titans), and directed by David Scott (LEGO Star Wars) and Theo Baynton (The Wotwots). It is distributed internationally by ITV Studios Global Entertainment. The four-season order follows Amazon Original Kids Series Just Add Magic's record-breaking premiere weekend as the most successful kids premiere weekend in terms of share of US Prime Video streams and hours.

Thunderbirds Are Go will be available for Prime members to stream and enjoy using the Amazon Video app for TVs, connected devices including Amazon Fire TV, and mobile devices, or online at Amazon.com/originals, at no additional cost to their membership. Customers who are not already a Prime member can sign up for a free trial at www.amazon.com/prime. For a list of all Amazon Video compatible devices, visit www.amazon.com/howtostream. Thunderbirds Are Go will also be available as part of Amazon FreeTime Unlimited, the all-you-can-eat subscription service designed from the ground up for kids. FreeTime Unlimited is available exclusively on Amazon devices including Amazon Fire TV and Fire tablets, and a year-long subscription is included with every Fire Kids Edition.

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 award-winning series from Roman Coppola and Jason Schwartzman, Mozart in the Jungle, the multi-Golden Globe award-winning and Emmy award-winning series Transparent, 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 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 a collection of kids shows now airing including Amazon Original Series Just Add Magic, 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.

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.

About ITV Studios Global Entertainment

ITV Studios Global Entertainment (ITVS GE) is one of the world's leading international TV distribution, home entertainment, publishing, merchandising and licensing businesses. ITVS GE distributes celebrated content across all genres from both its in-house production business, ITV Studios, and in collaboration with leading producers from around the world.

Part of ITV PLC, which includes the UK's largest commercial broadcaster, ITV Studios Global Entertainment has offices in London, Hong Kong, Los Angeles and Sydney.