With Top Gear's hosts defecting from the BBC to Amazon Video, Australians can finally watch their new show today without bending or breaking the rules.
Australians view Amazon as a source of cheap online shopping and eBooks, but in a few countries the online retail giant is also a major streaming heavy-hitter to rival Netflix. Amazon wasn't expected to bring its video service to Australia until December as part of its Amazon Prime subscription service, but the online giant has quietly flicked the switch overnight so we can legally watch The Grand Tour.
![Amazon granted Aussies access to Prime Video just in time to watch The Grand Tour.](/web/20161119001005im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/r/7/n/h/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gss34g.png/1479506043331.jpg)
Until now missing out on Prime Video hasn't been a major hassle, as a few Amazon Originals like Mozart in the Jungle, Transparent and Mad Dogs have found their way to Australia via Stan (co-owned by Fairfax Media) but we've missed out on others like the critically acclaimed The Man in the High Castle. Snapping up Clarkson, Hammond and May is a major coup for Amazon as it prepares to expand internationally, but that was little consolation for Aussies who want to watch it today.
While it's great to see Amazon Prime Video coming to Australia, they've cut it very close and launching with no fanfare seems like a wasted opportunity. Perhaps they figured it was best to get in early before we got in the habit of sneaking into the US library or simply watching it on the BitTorrent channel. As with Netflix, some Prime Video content isn't available to Australians as Foxtel or Stan have the local rights.
The launch of Prime Video in Australia was such as rush job that the pricing is still in US dollars, with $US10.99 per month working out at around $15. Before now there were two ways for Australians to watch The Grand Tour tonight, you could either bend the rules and bluff your way into the US service as a paying customer or break the rules and download it for free via BitTorrent.
Right now you can watch The Grand Tour in your desktop browser but, just like Netflix, the Amazon Video app will come to a lot of Australian hardware like smart TVs, set-top boxes, handheld devices and game consoles. If you're not prepared to wait you might be able to use a VPN to create a US or UK account on some of these devices and download Amazon Video from the app store.
In the US, Amazon Prime membership entitles you to a range of other benefits such as free delivery and it remains to be seen what kind of deal we'll get in Australia, but for now you can kill your VPN and watch The Grand Tour as a law abiding citizen. How had you planned to watch the new adventures of Clarkson, Hammond and May?
UPDATE: Amazon insists that it hasn't "launched" Prime Video in Australia;
"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 Amazon Originals, such as The Grand Tour, where we have the global rights."
When asked how and why Australians are suddenly able to sign up for a US or UK Prime Membership and watch video, if the service hasn't launched in Australia, the spokesperson helpfully replied;
"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 Amazon Originals, such as The Grand Tour, where we have the global rights."
When pushed to actually answer the question; "The statement is all we have to share at this time."
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