Amazon buys Starz’ pirate series Black Sails

Amazon Prime Instant has taken UK rights to big-budget pirate drama Black Sails.

The deal gives Amazon’s UK streaming service (fka Lovefilm) exclusive rights to the show, which is Starz in the US.

The US premium cable net has commissioned a second series of the Black Sails, which stars Toby Stephens (Die Another Day) and counts Michael Bay (Transformers) among its exec producers.

In the UK, the drama will launch on Amazon on April 4.

Taking a leaf out of Netflix’s book, Amazon is launching all episodes of the first season of the show simultaneously.

“Black Sails is the kind of show with enough twists and turns to make viewers want to consume the whole adventure in one go,” said Tim Leslie, vice president of Amazon Instant Video for the UK. “All eight episodes of the big-budget drama will be available from the 4th April, allowing those with an appetite for the pirate life to immerse themselves completely in the story of Captain Flint and his crew.”