Rings Of Power Is Streaming For Free On Different Streaming Service Before Season 2 Premiere

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is now streaming for free on a different platform prior to the season 2 premiere on Prime Video later this month. Loosely based on the work of J.R.R. Tolkien, the series takes place in the Second Age, revealing Sauron’s rise to power as he forges and distributes the titular Rings across Middle-earth. The Rings of Power season 2 is st to expand on the story, with the Dark Lord donning a new disguise as the fair Elf Annatar in order to gain more favor across the fantasy world.

Now, Deadline has confirmed that The Rings of Power season 1 is now streaming for free on Samsung TV Plus, ahead of the season 2 premiere. The eight-episode season is only available on the platform until August 28, after which season 2 will premiere on Prime Video on August 29. Amazon is pursuing this route in hopes of boosting viewership of season 2 when it premieres, enticing more subscribers to their platform to watch the show.

Will The Rings Of Power Season 2 Get More Viewers Than Season 1?

Season 1 Had Very Low Audience Completion Rates

The Rings of Power season 1 ended with many major cliffhangers, the biggest one of all being how more Rings would be forged after Galadriel learned Sauron had tricked the Elves into making the first three. These are moments new viewers on Samsung TV Plus can experience, potentially driving an uptick in viewership for season 2 of the fantasy show once it premieres. Considering the series is Prime Video’s most expensive endeavor – in fact being the most expensive TV series ever made – the show needs a high level of viewership in order to justify its planned five-season run.

However, this means season 2 also needs to earn higher audience retention, as it was reported back in April 2023 that only 37 percent of domestic viewers finished The Rings of Power season 1. This is a rather steep drop-off for a streaming original, something Amazon no doubt is hoping to curb for season 2 by getting a larger audience invested in the series. Although it’s unclear if their promotional campaign will result in a bolstered viewership for the upcoming episodes, it could be enough to keep the series a successful venture for the platform.

Since The Rings of Power season 2 is going to be expanding the world of the show, alongside a broader focus on Sauron’s rise in Mordor, it seems like the next episodes will prove more engaging than the first ones. This alone could help boost viewership, especially for those first watching on Samsung TV Plus who know more of the series is on the way. Although season 1 stumbled at the end of its run in terms of viewer retention, season 2 might be able to pull off a comeback for the fantasy series.

Source: Deadline

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

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The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power brings to screens the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth’s history for the very first time. Set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, The Rings of Power will explore a time in the franchise where kingdoms rose and fell, where The One Ring itself was forged and tells the tale of the rise of the greatest foe in the Lord of the Rings Franchise, the Dark Lord Sauron. Beginning in a time of peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of familiar and new characters as they confront the long-feared reemergence of evil in Middle-earth. From the depths of the Misty Mountains to the forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the island kingdom of Númenor, to the farthest reaches of the map, The Rings of Power promises to condense the extended works of Tolkien in a condensed but all-encompassing TV show format. The first season of The Rings of Power began airing exclusively on Prime Video on September 2, 2022

Cast

Morfydd Clark , Ismael Cruz Cordova , Charlie Vickers , Markella Kavenagh , Megan Richards , Sara Zwangobani , Daniel Weyman , Cynthia Addai-Robinson , Lenny Henry , Lloyd Owen , Nazanin Boniadi , Dylan Smith , Alex Tarrant , Tyroe Muhafidin , Robert Aramayo , Geoff Morrell , Thusitha Jayasundera , Maxine Cunliffe

Release Date

September 1, 2022

Seasons

1

Network

Amazon Prime Video

Writers

Patrick McKay , John D. Payne , J.R.R. Tolkien , Justin Doble , Jason Cahill , Gennifer Hutchison , Stephany Folsom , Nicholas Adams

Directors

J.A. Bayona , Sanaa Hamri

Showrunner

John D. Payne , Patrick McKay , Louise Hooper , Charlotte Brändström , Wayne Yip

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