Amazon order fantasy series, The Wheel of Time based on Robert Jordan's books for Amazon Prime Video.

Amazon has given a series order to an adaptation of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time, making it the second big TV series that will be coming to Amazon Prime Video following the already announced The Lord of the Rings series.

The Wheel of Time series first published in 1990 has sold over 90 million books worldwide and is set in a sprawling fantasy world where magic exists although only women are capable of using it.

The hour-long action-fantasy episodes of The Wheel of Time will be produced by Sony Pictures Television and Amazon Studios with Rafe Judkins as executive producer, and roll out on Amazon Prime Video in over 200 countries and territories.

The Wheel of Time follows Moiraine, a member of the shadowy and influential all-female organisation called the Aes Sedai as she starts a dangerous journey with five young men and women.

Moiraine believes one of them might be the reincarnation of an incredibly powerful person, whom prophecies say will either save humanity or destroy it. The series draws on numerous elements of European and Asian culture and philosophy, most notably the cyclical nature of time found in Buddhism and Hinduism.

"The Wheel of Time is endlessly fascinating and resonates hugely with fans as one of the best-selling global properties, and we were drawn to its timely narrative featuring powerful women at the core," says Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios in a statement and who spoke in London at the Amazon Prime Video Presents showcase.

"We're thrilled to extend our relationship with devotees who've found the book series transformative and welcome new ones by bringing it to life on Prime Video for viewers worldwide."

"Developing and producing Robert Jordan’s beloved 14 books-series for TV is a big undertaking, and we don't take it lightly," says Sharon Tal Yguado, head of event series at Amazon Originals.

"We believe that Rafe's personal connection to the material and soulful writing will resonate with the book’s passionate fans."

"We are thrilled to have the opportunity to produce The Wheel of Time with our friends at Amazon," says Chris Parnell, Sony Pictures Television co-president.

"In Rafe Judkins, we've found a brilliant visionary that is a true fan of the books and ready to bring Robert Jordan’s world to life."

Rafe Judkins says "for so many people, including me, this book series has served as a world to escape to, to lose yourself in, to devour and inhabit completely. And I couldn't be more honoured to be the one finally bringing that world to life on screen, for old fans to lose themselves in all over again and new fans to discover for the very first time".

Netflix and ill: The dangers of binge-watching includes chronic fatigue, over-eating, insomnia and a weakened immune system, while zombie show The Walking Dead makes you want to ... feed!

Love watching endless episodes at a time through Netflix, Showmax, Amazon Prime Video or Cell C black? Several research studies have now found that this relatively new phenomenon of binge-watching TV series can wreak havoc on the immune systems and the body's ability to fight off colds and flu, while bingeing on episodes of the zombie show The Walking Dead ... makes you feed!

The new daily habit that a lot of TV viewers are indulging in more and more, can have a debilitating impact on the body's immune system.

Nicole Jennings, spokesperson for Pharma Dynamics that provides colds and flu medication, says the relatively new phenomenon of being able to watch an entire TV series all at once, as opposed to waiting a week for an episode, has sparked several studies that attempt to understand how binge-watching is impacting our health.

According to a paper published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, people’s addiction to watching TV series can lead to chronic fatigue, which has a damaging effect on immunity.

"According to the study, over half (52%) of binge-watchers viewed three to four episodes in one sitting, with an average session lasting three hours. If one considers that most of the watching occurs in the evening, that doesn’t leave much shuteye. Binge-watchers also reported more fatigue and insomnia and had 98% more chance of having poor quality sleep than those that limited their screen time," says Nicole Jennings.

“Watching TV in a dark room for hours on end can really mess up our circadian rhythm - the cycle that regulates physiological processes - and disrupts sleep-wake cycles."

"The blue light emitted from TVs, PCs, laptops, smartphones and other devices can also reduce the production of melatonin, a hormone that promotes sleep."

"Poor sleep in general is associated with lower immune system function and a reduced number of antibodies or killer cells that help to fight germs," she says.

"Adults need between seven and nine hours of uninterrupted sleep every night in order for the immune system to function optimally. You can still enjoy watching TV, but try to avoid a binge too close to bedtime," she recommends. 

Apart from lack of sleep, marathon-viewing can also exacerbate mindless eating and unhealthy snacking – both detrimental to your waistline and immunity.

Research by Cornell University’s Food and Brand Lab found that action-packed shows, such as The Walking Dead on FOX (DStv 125 / StarSat 131 / Cell C black 201) for example, made participants eat twice as much (98%) than others who watched milder content like talk shows. 

Those that watched depressing shows, like the science fiction drama, Solaris for example, also ate 55% more than participants who watched positive, upbeat programmes. 

According to the researchers, action and adventure shows may encourage viewers to eat more, because viewers subliminally try to keep up with the pace of the story. Stress and anxiety experienced during a show also leads to comfort-eating.

Nicole Jennings points out that although it’s easier to order in pizza than pausing your show for an hour to cook a nutritious meal, junk food really upsets the immune system.

"Fatty, fried foods increase bad cholesterol and can cause inflammation, leading to reduced immunity, while sugar can hinder the body’s ability to produce germ-fighting white blood cells that destroy foreign pathogens."

"Watching your favourite characters drink a beer or smoke a cigarette might also trigger a craving for these substances, which have been proven to lower immunity. If you're planning to watch a TV series, rather put out cut-up fruit and vegetables or low-carb meals and healthy drinks on the table," she says.

Furthermore, sitting in the same position while watching hours of TV series not only contribute to deep vein thrombosis and the formation of fatal blood clots, but also increase one's risk of respiratory tract infections (RTIs) such as a cold, sinusitis or tonsillitis, most likely as a result of lowered immune function.  

A study conducted by researchers in the US found that staying physically active nearly halved the odds of catching cold viruses, and even those that did fell ill, didn't suffer too badly.

Nicole Jennings suggests that instead of sitting on the couch, TV addicts should consider watching a series on their cellphone or tablet while walking on the treadmill, stationary bike or rowing machine. "There are different ways to make the occasional marathon TV session healthier, but moderation is key."

MultiChoice CEO Calvo Mawela's stark warning to 'Game of Thrones'-like SA TV biz: It's coming for all of us.

South Africa's biggest pay-TV operator MultiChoice that says it is facing unprecedented danger from global streaming services like Netflix and Amazon, has a stark Game of Thrones-like warning for the entire South African TV biz, including the SABC and e.tv: It's not just threatening us - it's threatening all of us.

MultiChoice, Africa's largest pay-TV operator, told South Africa's broadcasting regulator earlier this month that Netflix is a threat and caused the loss of over 100 000 DStv Premium subscribers during just the last financial year.

The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) is once again conducting an inquiry into South Africa's pay-TV sector and is looking at, and will consider, how to possibly amend regulations.

MultiChoice is arguing for South Africa's broadcasting regulator to urgently implement regulations on global streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video operating in South Africa, instead of imposing even more onerous regulations on video entertainment businesses like MultiChoice.

The global over-the-top (OTT) streamers for instance don't pay local taxes and are not encumbered by things like local content quotas and other regulatory restrictions.

MultiChoice wants Amazon Prime Video and Netflix South Africa to be regulated - similar to what the European Union (EU) is currently implementing in terms of 30% local content quotas and tax requirements.

In their various submissions to the inquiry about what's wrong with the local TV biz, all of South Africa's broadcasters kept blaming the bigger wolf, with all of them ganging up on MultiChoice.

Community TV blamed MultiChoice and bigger broadcasters, with the SABC and e.tv in turn blaming MultiChoice, and MultiChoice in turn blaming what it sees as the bigger wolf at the door: global streamers like Netflix and its ilk rolling out localised offerings like Netflix South Africa.

TVwithThinus in an interview with MultiChoice CEO Calvo Mawela, asked him if MultiChoice feels as if it's stuck in the middle - between free-to-air broadcasters on the one hand and global streamers on the other - and he said no.

"We are all in the same situation. As a satellite pay-TV operator we are using technology that started 30 years ago in terms of direct-to-home (DTH) and linear television as we traditionally know it. But linear broadcasters are feeling the same pain as we are feeling - that people are no longer engaging as much with linear, 'appointment viewing' when delivering content. Viewers are moving online."

"What I find interesting is that the free-to-air channels like the SABC and e.tv think that the threat coming from over-the-top (OTT) players like Netflix and Amazon are still a bit further away," said Calvo Mawela.

"But that's how disruptive technology is. I think if they are not careful, they will not have a business tomorrow, similar to how print newspapers are struggling today to run a business because some of them thought 'we'll continue to survive' while they saw online coming. Today they're struggling to make a business case to survive due to online consumption of news."

"As MultiChoice we are saying we really need to recognise that online consumption is here, and it is today, and if we do not come up with business plans that address the needs of consumers who are clear that they want to consumer their content online, this TV industry will be dead in the not-too-distant future."

"Traditional television is facing a big threat of survival and if we don't change our business model, we will end up being monuments of what used to be once-successful companies if we don't move quickly to online."

Calvo Mawela was asked what advice or warning he has for South Africa's TV industry that seems to have, just like the hit fantasy drama series Game of Thrones on M-Net (DStv 101), many different power players all squabbling and fighting among themselves for TV territory, instead of collectively keeping an eye of the bigger looming danger and the winter that's coming: the big broadband TV revolution behind the wall.

"Let me start by showing the positives of old, traditional television and caution anybody that tries to regulate us more and more. We are an industry that is still majority owned by South Africans from an equity level - one of the very few industries that are still like that."

"What we see with the proliferation of global streaming services is that if they are left unregulated and if people keep pushing for us to be regulated more and more, all of the investment that has gone into traditional pay-TV becomes under threat."

"The investment in terms of local TV productions and the people that are working in this industry are also going to be affected because global streaming services don't have to employ anybody. They don't have to have a local presence in this country - Netflix in South Africa and Africa is run from Amsterdam," said Calvo Mawela.

"All the licence fees that we are paying, our contributions to GDP, our contributions to universal service and access, are all going to be affected badly if the broadcasting regulator keeps on focusing on regulating us more and more and they allow free reign for over-the-top players."

"We think it will be unfair and they need to level the playing field to make sure that like-for-like services are regulated the same."


ALSO READ: Why MultiChoice isn't giving DStv subscribers access to Netflix: "We treat Netflix as pure competition".
ALSO READ: MultiChoice boss warns the Naspers pay-TV giant isn't being alarmistic about the online threat of global video services to DStv: 'Satellite pay-TV will disappear'.
ALSO READ: Cape Town Television (CTV) makes shocking revelations to the broadcasting regulator about how all of South Africa's community TV stations are dependent on money from the pay-TV giant, MultiChoice, for their survival.
ALSO READ: e.tv warns South Africa's broadcasting regulator, Icasa, that the free-to-air broadcasting sector in the country is under threat and needs urgent protection as a new inquiry into SA's pay-TV market kicks off.

After its Syfy cancellation, Amazon saves the excellent science fiction drama series, The Expanse, picks it up for season 4.

Amazon has saved the excellent science fiction series, The Expanse, after cancellation by Syfy, picking up the series for a 4th season on Amazon Prime Video for the United States.

The Expanse is currently midway through its 3rd season and was cancelled by the NBCUniversal-owned channel.

Interestingly, for international viewers, including South Africa, The Expanse has been available on Netflix, a rival streaming to Amazon.

It will be interesting to see how the new take-over pick-up deal might impact where future and past seasons become available due to the complex subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) rights.

Time will tell, but it could be that the first 3 seasons of The Expanse remain on Netflix, with further seasons on Amazon Prime Video. It could also be that the first 3 seasons move to Amazon Prime Video as back catalogue together with the new 4th season.

Or it could be that The Expanse simply continues on Netflix internationally and Netflix South Africa, retain the existing 3 seasons and showing the 4th - this being the most likely scenario.

Speaking on Friday at a panel at the National Space Society's conference, Jeff Bezos, Amazon CEO who is a big fan of The Expanse book series, said that Amazon has made a deal to take over the science fiction series for a 4th season.

"I just got word that The Expanse was saved," Jeff Bezos said on Friday evening at the National Space Society's International Space Development Conference in Los Angeles.

The cast and producers of The Expanse team was in the ballroom audience for the Q&A session with Jeff Bezos when he made the announcement that Amazon is taking over the show.

I'll just let him say it...#TheExpanse#RocinanteIsSafe#BreakingNews

Thank you @JeffBezos pic.twitter.com/wxHN31zgJs

— Cas Anvar (@Casanvar) May 26, 2018

"I was talking to the cast half an hour ago, before the break for dinner started. I was telling them that we are working hard at Amazon to save The Expanse but it wasn't a done deal yet."

"During dinner, 10 minutes ago, I just got word that The Expanse is saved," Jeff Bezos said to applause and with the cast members standing up and applauding. "The show is extraordinary and these guys are unbelievably talented".

"We couldn't be more excited that The Expanse is going to continue on Amazon Prime! We are deeply grateful that Jeff Bezos, Jen Salke [new Amazon programming boss], and their team at Amazon have shown such faith in our show," said Alcon Entertainment co-founders and co-CEOs Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson who produce the series, in a statement.

"We also want to thank Laura Lancaster, head of Alcon Television for her tireless efforts. We are fully aware that this wouldn't have been possible if it wasn't for the staggering outpouring of support from the most creative, hardest working sci-fi fans around the world."

NBCUniversal's Syfy said it was difficult dumping The Expanse but didn't want it anymore.

"The Expanse transported us across the solar system for three brilliant seasons of television. Everyone at Syfy is a massive fan of the series, and this was an incredibly difficult decision," said Chris McCumber, president of entertainment networks at NBCU Cable Entertainment in a statement announcing the show's cancellation.

"We want to sincerely thank The Expanse’s amazing cast, crew and all the dedicated creatives who helped bring James S. A. Corey's story to life."

New TV research finds that viewers are confused by the growing number of TV services, as the novelty of so many options for TV content is starting to wear off.

Are you starting to feel overwhelmed by the growing number of different pay-TV services, each with their own costs and each offering different shows, while you don't know where to really find and watch what?

Well, you're not alone. New research from America that will likely be true for viewers elsewhere in the world as well, has found that a large and growing number of consumers are not just getting more confused about what TV to watch where, but are now also saying they want one source where they want to get their television from.

At the same time, consumers are not keen on getting just one pay-TV service bundle, and less than half of people with a pay-TV subscription say that they feel that their needs as "very well met".

The new research conducted by Hub Entertainment Research, shows the new and growing cognitive dissonance of TV viewers, who have more TV choices than ever before yet feeling less happy and satisfied with what they're getting, while desiring even more, although they want it curated for them from a single source.

While the number of TV choices in America and elsewhere in the world are growing, South Africa and Africa has also seen a flurry of available TV expansion.

Beyond the offerings of e.tv, community TV channels, the SABC as the South African public broadcaster and MultiChoice's DStv, there's also Deukom as well as StarSat from China's StarTimes Media SA as rival pay-TV players.

Then add the growing slew of subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) services like Naspers' Showmax, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video who are all working hard at making inroads at viewer growth although they're all still at a very small subscriber base in Africa and South Africa.

Where TV viewers had to fork out for MultiChoice DStv as a one-stop shop for access to premium content from the likes of M-Net and SuperSport, all of the best content is no longer just available here.

In addition to a higher-tiered DStv subscription for access to premium programming, South Africans who really want to see all of the best television, now need an Amazon, Netflix South Africa and Showmax subscription as well in order to catch and keep up with the avalanche of all the buzz-worthy, award-winning and must-watch shows from TV's Golden Era.

According to Hub Entertainment Research's "Best Bundle: Consumer Preferences in a Peak TV World", the ever-expanding number of services is confusing consumers.

Just 22% say more TV offerings mean that it's easier to chose what's best for them - down from 11% in 2017.

More than two-thirds of people (69%) say they're keen to access TV content from a single source - yet they don't want a single pay-TV bundle.

A growing number of people (43%) want services that allow them to choose the TV channels they want to pay for - even if this means that the price per individual TV channel is higher and more expensive with a bigger overall cost than a TV bundle where the overall cost is lower but includes TV channels they don't want or care to watch.

"The novelty of having so many options for TV content is wearing off," says Peter Fondulas at Hub Entertainment Research and one of the authors of the study.

"Now consumers want simplicity and efficiency. Bundles that aggregate content from multiple sources are highly desirable – but only if those bundles include little or no content they know they won't watch."

Jon Giegengack, the study's co-author says "it is not the price of traditional TV bundles that turns consumers off so much as how much of what they pay goes to content they don't even use. Viewers would rather have a bundle comprised of just the content they care about – even if it means they have to pay more for each network".

Amazon's Mozart in the Jungle seen on M-Net cancelled after 4 seasons.

Sorry maestro, the music will be no more: Amazon has cancelled its award-winning drama series, Mozart in the Jungle, seen in South Africa and across Africa on M-Net (DStv 101) after four seasons.

"We are so proud of the four seasons we made of this show and are grateful to the cast, crew, fans and Amazon for writing this symphony with us. We hope people will keep finding the show for years to come," the executive producers Paul Weitz, Roman Coppola, Jason Schwartzman and Will Graham say in a statement.

The drama series was based on Blair Tindall's book of the same name and followed the members of the New York Symphony with Gael Garcia Bernal as the conductor.

Mozart in the Jungle, produced by Amazon Studios, won two Golden Globe awards in 2016 during its first season, one for best musical or comedy series and another for Gael Garcia Bernal as best lead actor.

TV NEWS ROUND-UP. Today's interesting TV stories to read from TVwithThinus - 10 April 2018.

Here's the latest news about TV that I read and that you should read too:

■ The SABC's disappointing coverage of the life of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela after her death last week.
Why the lack of historical footage on the South African public broadcaster?

■ Naspers' SVOD service Showmax run by MultiChoice, says that in Africa expensive data is slowing down the growth if internet television. 

■ North Americans are the world's biggest TV watching addicts, spending 4 hours per days watching television.

The rest of the world spends nearly 3 hours per day watching TV. Meanwhile millennials and young adults are spending more time on their cellphones and watching TV that way.

■ HBO's Westworld creators are so scared of spoilers leaking about the upcoming 2nd season that will be on M-Net (DStv 101) that they've decided to do spoilers themselves.

■ CBS television executives are freaking out over a looming Charlie Rose expose in The Washington Post.

■ In a new episode "No Good Read Goes Unpunished" The Simpsons addressed the stereotype criticism over the Indian Apu character - and are now facing new complaints. And why The Simpsons' tasteless response to the Apu controversy is so heartbreaking. 

■ Colton Haynes is returning to Arrow seen on M-Net (DStv 101) as a series regular for the 7th season.

■ Star Trek: Discovery available on Netflix South Africa has added Anson Mount who will play Captain Christopher Pike in the second season.

■ FOX News (StarSat 261 / Cell C black 502) accidentally shows viewers that FOX News is the least trusted American TV news channel.

■ How Netflix and Amazon are driving a global reality TV renaissance although the online demand for reality series is still relatively small compared to scripted series.

■ The first photo of the older, reunited Murphy Brown cast.

TV NEWS ROUND-UP. Today's interesting TV stories to read from TVwithThinus - 6 April 2018.

Here's the latest news about TV that I read and that you should read too:

■ The BBC admits that it it faked the treehouse scenes from its series Human Planet and that a Papua New Guinea tribe building tree houses were staged for the programme makers.

■ The Hollywood Reporter asks if CNN in America, stuck in 3rd place in the TV news channel ratings, should CNN abandon its food fight formula?" that doesn't leave viewers better informed.


■ After MultiChoice dumped the Glow TV channel, the Glow TV boss Nazeer Noormohamed of Nis Media tells TVSA he thinks its because MultiChoice is on the side of Zee TV with links to the Gupta family.

■ Inside Amazon's massive $250 million Lord of the Rings TV series deal that's not just TV's most expensive TV series ever, but also "the most complicated deal I've ever seen".

■ Insanity: Iranian TV can't cope with the Italian soccer club Roma's iconic badge and censor-blurred it because it features a wolf's teats.

■ Science fiction is taking over television - what was once "geek TV" is now being watched by everbody.

■ The Westonarea police arrested an idiot who stole an unassembled TV stand - complete with shopping trolley.

■ The streaming service that Formula 1 wanted to launch is a mess with the initial roll-out that is being postponed.

■ It's not just e.tv's breakfast show, Sunrise, that has problems - Australia's Sunrise morning show is blasted as "commercial TV at its worst".

Amazon files a patent to create a modern-day holodeck just like in Star Trek; 'blended reality mirror' will use light and projections to create virtual reality scenes.

A holodeck could become reality a lot sooner than when Commander Riker in Star Trek: The Next Generation first walked through the doors of one on the USS Enterprise D, with Amazon that has filed, and been granted, a patent for a "blended reality mirror".

Not just being able to superimpose virtual clothing on a user's reflection, the blended reality mirror would also be capable of placing someone in the middle of any projected virtual reality setting, using lights, projectors, mirrors and cameras to create a specific scene - just like the fantastic (and notoriously malfunctioning) holodeck technology from Star Trek.

"These visual displays can be used to alter scenes as perceived by users, for example, by adding objects to the scene that do not actually exist," says the Amazon patent filing.

Face-tracking sensors and sophisticated software will manage the virtual reality display so that users see a realistic blended picture from any angle.

Amazon's patent filing describes the mirror as partially-reflective and partially-transmissive, creating a blended image by scanning an environment to generate a virtual model.
Amazon wants to presumably use the technology created from the patent as a type of "fitting room" to help people try on various outfits and to sell more clothes, but there's obviously also other potential uses.

Speaking of Star Trek and holodecks, the second half of the first season of Star Trek: Discovery will resume this coming Sunday in America with the last 6 episodes that will be made available on Netflix for the rest of the world, with one a week, starting Monday.

Amazon signs multi-season contract for new Lord of the Rings fantasy TV series to be produced by Amazon Studios for Amazon Prime Video.

Amazon has closed the deal and signed a multi-season contract for a Lord of the Rings TV series for Amazon Prime Video, negotiations of which first leaked last week.

Amazon wanted a big fantasy TV series tentpole like Game of Thrones and now has one that will be produced by Amazon Studios, in co-operation with the Tolkien Estate and Trust, HarperCollins and New Line Cinema, a division of Warner Bros. Entertainment.

"The Lord of the Rings is a cultural phenomenon that has captured the imagination of generations of fans through literature and the big screen," says Sharon Tal Yguado, head of scripted series at Amazon Studios in a statement.

"We are honoured to be working with the Tolkien Estate and Trust, HarperCollins and New Line on this exciting collaboration for television and are thrilled to be taking The Lord of the Rings fans on a new epic journey in Middle Earth."

The Lord of the Rings TV series, set in Middle Earth, will explore new storylines set before J.R.R. Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring.

"We are delighted that Amazon, with its longstanding commitment to literature, is the home of the first-ever multi-season television series for The Lord of the Rings," says Matt Galsor, a representative for the Tolkien Estate and Trust and HarperCollins.

"Sharon and the team at Amazon Studios have exceptional ideas to bring to the screen previously unexplored stories based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s original writings."

Piracy fears grow as Jeremy Clarkson's new car show The Grand Tour launches but isn't available for watching in South Africa or Africa.

Television piracy fears are growing over Jeremy Clarkson's new Top Gear like car show The Grand Tour that just rolled out its first episode but isn't available in South Africa or anywhere in Africa but already flooding piracy sites.

The fear is that when The Grand Tour - the new car show produced for Amazon with the former Top Gear stars Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May - do eventually become available in South Africa and across Africa, that most ardent fans and viewers who are interested in it, will have already found a way to watch it anyway.

M-Net that didn manage to acquire other Amazon produced shows like Mozart in the Jungle and Transparent told TVwithThinus on Thursday that it hasn't acquired The Grand Tour, meaning the show won't be available on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform.

With no word from subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) services Netflix or ShowMax about The Grand Tour, and Amazon being coy about which further countries it will be launching its Amazon Video Prime VOD service in, it's highly likely that the mostly male viewership courted by the show will watch The Grand Tour long before Amazon Video Prime launches in South Africa - if it does.

Amazon Video Prime is set to launch in a further 200 countries in December and switched on in Australia last night, but it's unclear whether South Africa is part of the list that will get the service. Netflix is currently available in 190 countries.

Part of the first season of The Grand Tour - releasing one episode per week on Amazon Video Prime since yesterday - is an episode filmed earlier this year in Johannesburg, South Africa.

This South African episode that will be become available next week Friday and following the debut episode set in California's desert, will be the second episode of the new series.

While BBC Worldwide's failed reset Top Gear seen earlier this year on BBC Brit (DStv 120) with Chris Evans was panned by critics and viewers alike and saw the host quit as ratings plummeted, The Grand Tour that Amazon spent millions on, looks like an instant hit while critics are back raving about Jezza and car company.

Forbes describes The Grand Tour as "really Top Gear on steroids" while The Telegraph raved that "the production values are as mind-blowing as billed" as describing the show as not "yet five minutes in and already Top Gear had been thoroughly trumped".

"The new series will certainly go some way towards obliterating memories of Top Gear's terrible Chris Evans fronted relaunch," said The Telegraph, noting that "Petrolheads can rejoice. The BBC may wonder how Matt LeBlanc and whoever joins him next year can possibly compete".

The Guardian says "Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond prove they can still make a spectacle – and keep the petrolheads happy".

USA Today notes that The Grand Tour is "ambitious".

With good reviews and a passionate fanbase for The Grand Tour, if Amazon Video Prime does launch in South Africa sometime in December, it might be too late for the Amazon Studios produced show to actually cash in on viewers.

If The Grand Tour does become available to South African viewers it will be after the show's international launch date and episode roll-out schedule, while a growing number of South African and African consumers with broadband access over the past three years have turned to other ways of finding TV downloads if a show isn't broadcast or made available legally in the territory.