Viewers in 200 countries and territories will be to be able to watch The Grand Tour from December after Amazon announced plans to use Jeremy Clarkson’s new motoring show to expand its video service.

Clarkson and fellow presenters James May and Richard Hammond announced the expansion in a YouTube video on Wednesday, amid a marketing blitz that includes billboards, print, radio and television ads.

The Grand Tour’s first episode, to be downloaded or streamed on Friday morning, will be available to Amazon Prime subscribers in the UK, US, Germany, Austria and Japan. The international rollout will bring The Grand Tour to almost as many territories as used to watch the BBC’s Top Gear programme fronted by the trio, including all the locations where Clarkson and the team have previously caused controversy, notably Argentina.

The plans for an international expansion came as a surprise, as Amazon Prime is available in just 10 locations. It comes as Amazon seeks to justify the £160m over three years it is estimated to have spent on The Grand Tour.

Since the US online retailing giant announced its deal to produce a new show with the old BBC Top Gear team, the figures have bedazzled viewers and analysts alike. At £4.5m an episode, the cost dwarfs the £650,000 or so spent by the BBC on each show.

With huge amounts spent on overseas travel for the first series, from Whitby to Lapland via California and South Africa, as well as two vast and complicated tents to film in, The Grand Tour underlines how television budgets are approaching those of movies.



An opening sequence described as “spectacular” by Amazon insiders – featuring 6,000 extras in the Californian desert, according to some reports – is estimated to have cost £2.5m alone.

In an interview with the Guardian, Amazon’s European TV boss, Jay Marine, said: “We look at these decisions with the data and I can tell you that we love this deal. Since working with these guys I love it even more than the day we did it. Was this an expensive show? You bet … But is it worth it? Yeah, it’s worth it.”

When a Clarkson-fronted BBC Top Gear made the Guinness Book of Records in 2013 it was watched by 350 million people in 212 territories.

Asked if Amazon could get a return on its investment, Clarkson said: “Yeah, they will. Do the maths.” He indicated that if just 1% of the previous audience signed up to Amazon Prime’s £79 annual subscription to watch the show, the broadcaster would recoup about £276m.

Consumer Intelligence Research Partners estimated there were 63 million Prime members this July, up 19 million in a year. Other analysts estimate that just 2 million of them are in the UK.

Tom Harrington, at Enders Research, is one of several analysts to believe that achieving the same number of viewers is no longer what matters. This makes The Grand Tour a “loss leader” for Amazon Prime, the subscription model that offers advantages such as free 24-hour delivery as well as television content.

“One of the strengths of Amazon’s whole video access system is that once you’re there you’re one step away from buying something else,” said Harrington.

Roger Parry, chairman of several marketing and media companies, said Amazon had by far the best business model of the relatively new entrants into the television market, such as Netflix.

“It’s basically a shopping site with video thrown in … Once on Prime, subscribers get hooked on fast, free delivery and get Jeremy Clarkson thrown in on top.”

Amazon’s own research suggests that when a Prime customer watches its video content, they are more likely not only to start paying after the free trial period ends but also to renew their subscription at the end of the year.

Amazon spends millions on original, award-winning content such as The Grand Tour or Transparent because it is “additive” to the main business, which is making people buy things. The company’s founder, Jeff Bezos, calls this the “Prime Flywheel”, which posits Clarkson as a large spider in the middle of the worldwide web.

Consumer Intelligence Research again suggests Prime shoppers spent about $1,200 on average last year, compared with about $500 for non-members.



Marine said his confidence in The Grand Tour’s success was not just based on hoped-for viewing figures but on social media buzz and the quality of the show.

“I’m not trying to be boastful but it really is a TV moment with these guys coming back on air. There’s so much interest and anticipation in the UK market especially that I think it can be a game changer for Prime Video.”

When Netflix agreed to spend £5m an episode on The Crown, its new biopic on the Queen, it had a specific global audience in mind – older views who like dramatised history.

Amazon believes Grand Tour is not just attractive to male petrolheads or even young men used to streaming services. Marine says more than 40% of its audience are women, “and then you get into kids and families! There’s a reason this is the most widely watched factual show ever … It’s not just a car show, it’s really an entertainment show, a buddy comedy. And cars just play a role in that.”

When Clarkson left the BBC, after assaulting a member of the production team, there was speculation about his health. This week, the Sun splashed on his run-in with an airport worker. How will Amazon deal with any future controversy or meltdowns in a tent?

“I’m not going to speculate,” said Marine. “Jeremy is a big boy. He’s talked about that stuff. It’s not a concern.”

• This article was amended on 17 November 2016 to clarify a reference to 200 countries and territories.