Internet corporations seem to be increasingly encroaching on the territory of traditional broadcasters. Consider Amazon, which last week announced that it had signed the controversial former presenters of the BBC's Top Gear TV show – Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May – in a $250 million deal to deliver a new car show.
Clarkson’s popularity is hardly surprising, considering that he transformed Top Gear from a traditional information programme to one filled with supercars, stunts and humour. He also takes the credit for making it one of the biggest shows in Britain, worth an estimated £150 million a year, which attracted about 350 million viewers worldwide.
There is no doubt this is a coup for Amazon, as it seeks to develop its Prime entertainment platform and compete with Netflix and others. It also provides pause for thought for traditional broadcasters. Are they still able to compete in the race for talent?
