There may be a new kid on the media block. Variety reports that Amazon is exploring investments in more original news programs on its Prime Video platform. These discussions follow the streaming giant’s first-ever newscast Election Night Live with Brian Williams, released worldwide on November 5, 2024.
An Amazon spokesperson declined to comment on Variety’s reports when contacted by TVNewser.
The election special marked the first time Williams appeared behind an anchor desk since 2021, when the former face of NBC Nightly News signed on from its post-broadcast perch on MSNBC. And he brought with him a number of other former traditional media correspondents into the streaming realm, including former CNN talent like Jessica Yellin And Candy Crowley and former Fox News anchor Shepard Smith.
According to Variety, Election Night Live reached approximately four million viewers over the course of the evening. It’s well behind Fox News audience of 10 million and even NBC’s threshold of 5.5 million viewers during the 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. viewing window. But this notably places Prime Video ahead of broadcast channels like CBS News and the Fox network, which both finished below the four million mark.
Speaking with TVNewser in Novemberthe production team behind the election special—Glenn Weiss And Ricky Kirshner— said they hoped to prove there was a place for news on Prime Video.
“I hope this special illustrates that any company that broadcasts into homes through any means is capable of doing something like this,” Weiss remarked. “As people building the actual structure here…I hope this proves that.”
The duo also made a point of visually differentiating Election Night Live from the network’s standard media coverage, shooting the special on a Volume Wall-enabled soundstage in Los Angeles and leveraging Americana in set design and graphics.
“We walked onto an empty soundstage without the support of a newsroom, a newsroom or an anchor’s desk,” Weiss said. “We wanted [to create] an environment that represents this country.
Variety also reports that Amazon is specifically looking to follow the Election Night Live model of one-off specials, as opposed to a regular evening newscast, and intends to avoid any hint of any partisan leanings in its coverage. This suggests that the streamer would likely avoid signing extensive (and expensive) contracts with new talent; Williams, for example, was only enlisted for election night.
Still, an Amazon-led investment in news programming would counter the budget cuts occurring at many major broadcasters and cable channels. Of course, some of these networks are already exploring ways to establish a stronger presence in the digital realm where audiences are increasingly migrating. NBC News, for example, reported 100 million video views for its election night coverage on NBC News Now, the streaming service’s largest audience ever.
“It is extremely important to have your own Internet destination where you provide reliable, trustworthy and credible information” Catherine Kimexecutive vice president of editorial at NBC News, told TVNewser last year. “And it’s also important to go on social platforms and share news stories, because that’s where consumers get their information.”
