Netflix has confirmed that it will be streaming the new series of Top Gear internationally, which will put it in direct competition with Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May’s new motoring show on rival Amazon. Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s chief content officer, said on Tuesday that the revamped BBC2 motoring show will be made available on the streaming service as it falls under the existing deal it has with the BBC.
“Theoretically it should follow the deal of the old format where Top Gear is still under the terms of the old deal,” said Sarandos. “So in many parts of the world we already have it picked up and we’ll continue to talk to them about doing it as well. The show is very popular on Netflix as you can imagine. There’s a change in format but people definitely prefer the British Top Gear over the local Top Gear in almost every country in the world.”
At this stage it isn’t clear how long it’ll take for the show to appear on the streaming service after airing on BBC2, as historically the wait has been anywhere from a few months up to a year. Sarandos said Netflix is “continuing talks” to make Top Gear available in as many of its international territories as possible.