Description: Prime Video is a worldwide, video-on-demand subscription service that works to give consumers the best-in-class digital entertainment experience. The Wheel of Time is Prime Video’s series adaptation of Robert Jordan’s best-selling fantasy novels of the same name. The show’s first season comprises eight episodes, with a second season confirmed. In its debut week, The Wheel of Time gained 1.16 billion viewing minutes, making it Amazon Prime Videos’ most-watched original series since 2020’s “Hunters,” and one of its top five original series launches of all time.
With a cult readership behind the series of novels, Prime Video was looking to reach a loyal follower base and potential new fans with the launch of its brand new series adaptation in Germany. And where better to tap into the world of fantasy fandom than Twitch? Seven streamers with a follower base that loves the fantasy genre, kicked off the campaign on their Twitch account by inviting their communities to join Prime Video DE server on Discord, where they could sign up for a chance to win tickets to a unique WoT event. We then transported 30 lucky fans to a medieval castle where they got to meet their favorite streamers and watch them participate in a series of WoT-themed challenges. A watch party attended by both the streamers and fans was held after. By working together with the fans on set and in the Twitch chat the streamers were able to successfully protect the dragon from darkness. After the challenges the streamers and fans were invited to an exclusive watch party, where they watched the first 2 episodes. Our multi-layer strategy leveraged the power of community to delight fans, build loyalty, and entertain, highlighting the rich universe and premium nature of the WoT series - an experience that viewers won’t get anywhere else besides Prime Video.
Background & Innovation: Our goal was to immerse a wide range of target groups in the world of The Wheel of Time through rich content that would keep them coming back for more. This included the mass market, loyal readers of the series, fantasy fans, and toe-dippers who love jumping on the next series bandwagon. The unmissable, interactive experience created in line with the show allowed us to celebrate the community and fantasy fandom. It also gave us the opportunity to recruit fans to become series loyalists whilst spotlighting Prime Video and Studios as a credible destination for premium genre-related series.
Other Specifics: The backdrop of a global pandemic posed several challenges to the live production. Due to a steep rise in COVID-19 cases across Europe around the live event, we were required to downscale the size of the physical event in the week before it was set to take place. We also faced several obstacles while transporting the winning fans safely to the event location, keeping COVID guidelines and safety protocols into consideration.
An additional challenge for this live production was the venue. The ambition to give viewers something unique led us to choose a place that had never before been used for a stream.
Link to Livestream on Twitch
Link to website Wheel of Time
Work released: November 19, 2021