Prime Video Nordics to take 'more feminine' turn to reach new viewers
Prime Video in the Nordics will take "a more feminine point of view" in its next commissions.
Emilia Widstrand, Head of Nordic Originals for Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, laid out the direction in comments reported by Deadline on 29 September. She said the service will seek to speak more directly to women and younger viewers as it expands its local line-up.
Men have formed the backbone of viewing on Prime Video in the Nordics so far. Two recent dramas fit that pattern. Snake Killer and Rinnan both appeal largely to male viewers.
Snake Killer launched in January as a four-part Danish series, meaning the story is told across four episodes. It stars Pilou Asbæk as Brian "Smiley" Petersen and centres on Copenhagen narcotics police unit Uropatruljen, which operated between 1965 and 2001. Anders Ølholm is the writer and director. The dates place the unit's work across more than three decades.
Rinnan is a Norwegian drama about traitor and Gestapo agent Henry Rinnan. It is a co-production with Norwegian broadcaster TV2, meaning the partners share costs and rights. Miso Film produces the series.
The upcoming slate gives a sense of what comes next. Murder in the Dark is a four-part Danish original from SAM Productions and Amazon MGM Studios, based on Dan Turèll's book series. Sarek is a four-part Swedish psychological thriller, meaning a tense story driven by its characters' state of mind, based on Ulf Kvensler's debut novel about friends on a hiking trip. Originals here means series ordered by the streamer for its own service.
Widstrand took charge of Nordic originals, meaning locally commissioned series for the region, in August last year. She replaced Karin Lindström, who later joined HBO Max. Her remit grew in May when she added acquisitions duties, meaning buying rights to finished programmes alongside ordering new ones. That change followed the departure of Prime Video Nordics head Andreas Hjertø.
For viewers, this means a broader mix. Crime and wartime history remain part of the offer. The next orders are designed to bring in audiences who have watched less so far until now.
