Amazon Saves The Expanse With Season Four Prime Video Deal

One week ago, we heard rumor that Amazon was in talks with the producer behind science fiction drama hit The Expanse. The company was, according to sources, talking with Alcon about acquiring the show after its original home, Syfy, decided it wouldn't renew for a fourth season. Now the company has confirmed that it is acquiring The Expanse and will offer is through Prime Video.

Syfy, we learned last week, decided to drop The Expanse due to its lack of digital distribution rights, among other things. Without those rights, The Expanse was ultimately a pricey series for Syfy, which failed to reap the benefits that come with digital distribution. Fans immediately mobilized to save the series, calling on Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu to grab it for season four.

Amazon was quick out of the gate and rumor surfaced within days revealing that talks were happening behind closed doors. Late last week, Amazon's Jeff Bezos personally announced that The Expanse will be heading to Amazon Prime Video for season four. The announcement was made during the International Space Development Conference.

The transition highlights the change in consumer media habits, namely a transition from traditional live television viewing to on-demand content streaming. Live viewing numbers don't necessarily reflect a show's popularity and demand, but could spell trouble for shows and networks that fail to rake in those figures. It isn't clear when Amazon will launch season 4.