*Bishop T.D. Jakes has inked a deal with Amazon Freevee to launch a free streaming channel.
Jakes’ channel will include sermons, interviews and other unscripted, faith-based programming from the preacher’s library, per Variety. The ad-supported, streaming channel (FAST) and on-demand service will launch in early 2023.
“It’s unprecedented for both of us,” Jakes said of the deal. “It’s the first time that [Amazon has] ever gone into that type of content before. And while we do scripted shows, and I’ve done things for Sony and other people, they initially are not asking for anything like that. They’re wanting purely faith-based content, preaching sermons, messages, inspiration, to be available to stream on a dedicated FAST channel and free to watch. That’s a new thing for them and for us.”
Jakes has produced several films and TV series, including Lifetime’s “Seven Deadly Sins” anthology. “T.D. Jakes on The Road” will be among the programming on his Amazon Freevee channel, and Jakes is said to be open to working on scripted programming with the streamer.
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Lauren Anderson, head of AVOD original content and programming at Amazon Studios, said. “As we build our faith-based offerings alongside our entertainment selection, we are honored to be the exclusive video streaming home for Bishop Jakes’ decades-long ministry, and proud to be a destination for viewers to find an ongoing source of spiritual inspiration.”
“We’re also talking about the possibility of, down the road, doing scripted television shows and other types of content through Amazon, beyond preaching messages,” said Jakes. “So, this this is just ground level zero of a relationship that is emerging between our organization and them.”
Jakes’ deal with Amazon isn’t exclusive, which means he could create content for other streaming channels.
“This is where the first time a company like Amazon has treated us without discriminating about faith and be open to providing this type of content for a certain base of their constituency who find that type of content enjoyable,” Jakes said. “To me that is a very good thing. It won’t be for everybody. But for those people who really enjoy that type of ministry, which our numbers verify that there are millions of people who do, we can now provide those services through Amazon.”
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