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Amazon Plans to Develop a Docuseries on Hugh Hefner and Playboy

By
Leena Rao
Leena Rao
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By
Leena Rao
Leena Rao
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August 11, 2016, 4:30 PM ET
Playboy magazine featuring an article on Google is seen at a
UNITED STATES - AUGUST 13: Playboy magazine featuring an article on Google is seen at a newsstand in Manhattan, New York on Friday August 13, 2004. Google Inc., the world's most-used Internet search engine, cut the price range on its initial public offering by about a quarter, valuing the company at as much as $25.8 billion. (Photo by Jennifer S. Altman/Bloomberg via Getty Images)Photograph by Jennifer S. Altman — Bloomberg via Getty Images

Next up for Amazon’s original content machine is a new docuseries about Hugh Hefner and the founding of Playboy, according to Deadline.

The series, like most of Amazon’s original content, will be available for Amazon Prime members as well as for members of the subscription service’s newly launched video-only plan, which costs $8.99 per month.

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The 13-episode docuseries will be titled American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story, focusing on the founding and launch of Playboy and Hefner’s career. According to the report, the docuseries has access to 17,000 hours of footage and 2,600-plus scrapbooks from Hefner’s personal archives.

“Although Hugh Hefner is an iconic figure known worldwide, most people may not be aware of the impact he has had on some of this country’s most important social revolutions,” said Conrad Riggs, head of TV production for Amazon’s content business, Amazon Studios. “We are excited to bring Prime members the untold story of Mr. Hefner’s remarkable life and his contributions to modern American history.”

For the past few years, Amazon Studios has seen success with a number of original TV programs, including Mozart in the Jungle and Transparent.

Amazon (AMZN) has been acquiring content at a rapid clip in recent months as it looks to compete with streaming rivals Netflix and Apple. On the company’s most recent earnings call, CFO Brian Olsavsky said Amazon plans to triple the amount of original content over the rest of the year.

In February, Amazon Studios acquired the North American rights to Woody Allen’s next film, a yet-to-be-named romantic comedy set in the 1930s, for a reported $20 million.

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Amazon Studios chief Roy Price previously said that the company has high hopes for movies and eventually plans to release 16 movies per year. Amazon Studios also acquired six films from the Sundance Film Festival this year, including the new Kenneth Lonergan film, Manchester By the Sea.

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By Leena Rao
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