Ragnar the New King of Denmark and his band of Viking brothers return to Prime Instant Video as they set out to conquer Paris in third season

LONDON – 20th February 2015 – Amazon today announced the first episode of the hotly anticipated third season of original drama series, Vikings is now available for Prime Instant Video customers in the UK. Created by Michael Hirst, third season of History’s original drama series premieres exclusively on Amazon Prime Instant Video in the UK with a new episode airing every Friday.

Following last season’s dramatic finale, which saw Ragnar (played by Travis Fimmel) conquer Norse ruler Horik to become the new King of Denmark, Season 3 sees Ragnar lead his people to an uncertain fate on the shores of Wessex. Ever the restless wanderer, Ragnar is searching for something more - and he finds it in the mythical city of Paris. Rumoured to be impenetrable to outside forces, Ragnar and his band of Norsemen must come together to break down its walls and cement the Vikings legend in history.

The gripping family saga of Ragnar, Rollo (Clive Standen), Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick) and Bjorn (Alexander Ludwig) continues as alliances and loyal friendships are questioned, faith is catechized and relationships are strained. Vikings tells the extraordinary tales of the lives and epic adventures of these warriors and portrays life in the Dark Ages, a world ruled by raiders and explorers, through the eyes of Viking society.

“Vikings keeps going from strength to strength, with each season proving more popular with our members than the last. We’re delighted to be bringing the next chapter in Ragnar’s adventures to Amazon Prime Instant Video customers for unlimited streaming” said Chris Bird, Film & TV Strategy Director at Amazon Instant Video, “Expect new power struggles, bloodshed, rivalry, reunions and of course epic high definition Viking battle scenes.”

Chris Ottinger, President of International Television Distribution & Acquisitions for MGM Television, added: “The Vikings entertainment invasion continues, with the series viewed in almost every market in the world. MGM Television is delighted to continue our relationship with Amazon Prime Instant Video, whose customers have become loyal members of our UK Vikings clan.”

Travis Fimmel continues to lead the stellar cast as the curious warrior Ragnar, along with Katheryn Winnick as Lagertha, an Earl and fierce shield maiden; Clive Standen as Rollo, Ragnar’s impulsive brother; Alexander Ludwig as Bjorn, the intelligent and bold warrior son of Ragnar; George Blagden as Athelstan, a former monk befriended by Ragnar; Jessalyn Gilsig as Siggy, beautiful wife of the late Earl Haraldson; Linus Roache as Ecbert, King of Wessex, a man of strength, knowledge and undisguised ambition; Gustaf Skarsgard as Floki, a genius ship builder and loyal yet sometimes dangerous friend of Ragnar’s; and Alyssa Sutherland as Queen Aslaug, Ragnar’s wife.

Additional cast joining Season 3 include: Ben Robson (Dracula: The Dark Prince) who will play Kalf, Lagertha’s trusted second in comman; Lothaire Bluteau (The Tudors) as Emperor Charles of France, a powerful man who views battling the Vikings as spiritual and earthly; Kevin Durand (X-Men Origins: Wolverine) as Harbard, a wanderer who is not what he seems and Morgane Polanski (The Ghost) as Princess Gisla, the elegant, self-possessed daughter of Emperor Charles and his most trusted advisor.

Created and written by Michael Hirst – one of the premier historical story-tellers in the industry (Academy-Award winning film Elizabeth; and the Emmy and Golden Globe nominated series The Tudors), Michael serves as Executive Producer along with Morgan O’Sullivan of World 2000 (The Count of Monte Cristo; The Tudors), Sheila Hockin (The Tudors; The Borgias), John Weber of Take 5 Productions (The Tudors; The Borgias), Sherry Marsh, Alan Gasmer and James Flynn (The Tudors; The Borgias). Dirk Hoogstra and Julian P. Hobbs are the Executives in Charge of Production for History.

Vikings is an international Irish/Canadian co-production being co-produced by World 2000 and Take 5 Productions. History broadcasts domestically in the U.S. MGM Television brought the series to the network and brings Vikings to the global audience, serving as the worldwide distributor outside of Ireland and Canada. Vikings is produced in association with Shaw Media, and the series also airs on History in Canada.

Vikings was the first US TV show brought to the UK exclusively by Amazon Prime Instant Video in May 2013. The first two seasons of the critically-acclaimed drama are available to stream now alongside other hit series including double Golden Globe award winning original TV series Transparent and popular action series Black Sails and Ripper Street.

Amazon Prime members can stream the new season from 20th February on more than 400 devices, including Fire tablets, iPad, iPhone, Xbox, PlayStation, Wii and Wii U, amongst others, and online at www.amazon.co.uk/PIV. What’s more, this content is accessible both on-the-go and from the comfort of customers’ homes, through Amazon Fire Phone and on Amazon Fire TV. Customers who are not already Prime members can sign up for a free trial at www.amazon.co.uk/prime.

ENDS

About Prime Instant Video
Amazon Prime Instant Video is the UK’s largest online video streaming service, offering subscriber’s unlimited access to over 15,000 popular movies and TV episodes. As well as exclusive TV and film content, such as The Walking Dead, Vikings, Argo and Django Unchained, Amazon Prime Instant Video is the only place to watch critically acclaimed Amazon Original shows, such as 2015 Golden Globe winning TV Series Transparent and critically acclaimed Mozart in the Jungle and Ripper Street Season 3.

Amazon Prime Instant Video is available on more than 400 devices, including Fire tablets, iPad, iPhone, Xbox, PlayStation, Wii and Wii U, amongst others and is accessible both on-the-go and from the comfort of customers’ homes, through Amazon Fire Phone and on Amazon Fire TV. Amazon Prime Instant Video is available at no extra cost to Prime members, who also benefit from unlimited One-Day Delivery on over 7 million items, unlimited photo storage in Amazon Cloud Drive and access to 650,000 Kindle books to borrow.

Customers who are not already members can start a 30-day free trial of Amazon Prime by visiting www.amazon.co.uk/prime. For more information about Prime Instant Video, visit www.amazon.co.uk/PIV.

About Amazon
Amazon.com opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995. The company is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalised recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire phone, Fire tablets, and Fire TV are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon.

Contact

Bite Communications
Lauren Caverley
T +44 208 834 3413
AmazonInstantVideo@biteglobal.com 

About MGM Television
MGM Television is a leading producer and global distributor of content for television and digital platforms, with distribution rights to original productions and a robust catalog of television episodes and feature film titles covering some of entertainment's premiere franchises including the James Bond franchise and “The Hobbit” trilogy. Current television projects include the hit series “Vikings,” airing its third season February 19 on HISTORY; the Emmy® winning limited series “Fargo,” a co-production with FX Productions and “Teen Wolf,” heading into production on its fifth season on MTV. In addition, MGM Television serves as the syndicator for “Right This Minute” and “Let’s Ask America.” Through its finance and distribution entity, Orion TV Productions’ courtroom series “Lauren Lake’s Paternity Court” is in its second season. For more information, visit www.mgm.com.

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