Lovefilm agrees exclusive Vikings deal

Amazon’s UK streaming service Lovefilm has bought rights to season two of drama series Vikings.

The deal gives Lovefilm exclusive first-window rights to the show, meaning it will appear online first in the UK before airing on linear television.

Lovefilm said that it will show episodes from season two, in high definition, within 24 hours of its airing in the US on the cable channel History.

The ten-episode series will debut on Lovefilm in the UK on February 28 with subsequent instalments at weekly intervals thereafter.

History in the UK will air the series at a later date, which is yet to be confirmed. The channel is also due to air season one of the show from May.

The Norse epic is produced and distributed by MGM and has proved popular on History in the US where it aired after hit series The Bible in a Sunday night slot.

Chris Ottinger, president, international television distribution and acquisitions for MGM said: “We are excited to further our relationship with Lovefilm to bring the highly-anticipated second season of Vikings to their subscribers in 2014, and offering the opportunity to stream the latest episodes within 24 hours of the US airdate, watching every epic battle in high-definition.”

In the US, Amazon took streaming rights to season one of the series for its Prime Instant Video service.