Lizzo Signs Exclusive First-Look TV Deal With Amazon

Lizzo has signed a new first-look TV deal with Amazon Studios.

Under the deal, Lizzo will work with Amazon Studios to create TV shows to premiere on Amazon Prime Video. “I’m so excited to partner with the amazing team at Amazon,” Lizzo confirmed. “Thank you to Jen Salke and the rest of the team for making this dream come true. I can’t wait to get started and share my vision with the world.”

The three-time Grammy-winning singer, rapper, and flautist will bring her expertise to Amazon Studios.

Albert Cheng, co-head of TV at Amazon Studios, called Lizzo a force for positivity in the world. They’ll now have first-look rights to any ideas Lizzo has for TV and streaming shows. Lizzo, born Melissa Viviane Jefferson, has projected an image of body positivity and self-love and acceptance for her millions of fans.

“Lizzo is one of the most exciting, creative, joyful artists in the industry, and it is such a pleasure to announce this new deal with her,” Salke says. “She has such a unique perspective, and we’re so excited to hear her ideas for new content that our Prime Video customers are sure to love.”

The deal is the latest in a string of deals that go beyond music. Lizzo enjoyed a high-profile cameo role in Hustlers last year. Lizzo also voiced a character for the animated film, UglyDolls. She’s also voicing a character called Magic Mushroom in an upcoming animated short, Yeti! Now, Lizzo’s work in the television industry is just getting started with Amazon Studios’ help.

It’s interesting to see streaming services signing more first-look agreements with fresh new talent like Lizzo.

A few days ago, Apple TV signed a first-look deal with Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way Productions. These deals help studios secure their first rights to streaming shows, documentaries, and creative content to keep their platforms unique.

It’s something both Spotify and Apple Music are experimenting within the realm of podcasts. This week, Michelle Obama’s exclusive Spotify podcast debuted, bringing lots of attention to Spotify’s podcast offerings. Spotify’s $500 million+ acquisition podcast spree has secured plenty of content for their audience.

With the acquisition of Joe Rogan’s podcast, Spotify is even moving into video now. That makes sense: exclusive content is how many streaming services, both audio and video, are hoping to weather the subscription fatigue storm.

Many users seem happy to get their podcasts in the same place as their music, which will work out well for Spotify. But depending on how far this goes, fans of certain podcasts will find themselves needing multiple subscriptions just to listen to their favorite shows.

Source: Digital Music News