Without Amazon Prime, Aussies have to wait for 'The Grand Tour'
First the car industry moves offshore, now the car shows are staying overseas too.
- Webby Award Winner (Best Video Host, 2021), Webby Nominee (Podcasts, 2021), Gold Telly (Documentary Series, 2021), Silver Telly (Video Writing, 2021), W3 Award (Best Host, 2020), Australian IT Journalism Awards (Best Journalist, Best News Journalist 2017)
Amazon has promoted "The Grand Tour" ahead of launch with fake car crash scenes in London.
Australia may be the land of Mad Max, but Aussies are going to have to wait longer to get their fix of Jeremy Clarkson's new TV show "The Grand Tour."
The car show will premiere on Amazon on Friday November 18, but it will only be available to viewers in the UK, US, Germany, Austria and Japan. Everyone else around the world will have to wait.
"The Grand Tour" unites former "Top Gear" hosts Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, who have been off the radar since Clarkson was sued by one of Top Gear's producers for assault in 2015.
But Clarkson was back and bullish as ever in a video posted on Facebook today, ripping into a letter written by one Aussie fan named Holdenman3000 (at least we think was Australian -- Clarkson's accent was pretty terrible).
"I was really looking forward to 'The Grand Tour' but Amazon Prime still isn't available in my country," Clarkson reads. "I'm sick of it and I don't want to watch your show any more, and I won't watch it even if I can, which I can't."
Strong words Holdenman3000. But May has a message for you and other Aussie rev heads.
"When 'The Grand Tour' launches worldwide, everyone will be able to catch up on the shows that have aired to date, and then get a brand new episode every Friday on Amazon," said May.
There's no word on how Aussies will watch the show when it comes here, what they'll pay or what kind of delay they'll face in getting new episodes.
But regardless of your feelings on Top Gear 2.0, it's another top tier show that's coming to Australia late. Fans will no doubt be disappointed and left questioning why we're told to pay for content, when all the dollarydoos in the world won't give us access.
Update, November 22, 2016: After reports that Amazon Prime has already quietly launched in Australia, Amazon provided the following statement to CNET:
"We have not launched Amazon Prime in Australia. The service some Australians have signed-up for is the US or UK Prime Membership, which provides free, fast shipping within the US or UK, as well as access to some AmazonOriginals, such as The Grand Tour, where we have the global rights."