His BBC contract precludes Jeremy Clarkson's new show to be signed on with British broadcaster ITV until 2017. This leaves the field wide open for American online streaming platforms Amazon and Netflix to sign the former "Top Gear" team.
"A clause in Clarkson's BBC contract is stopping him and fellow 'Top Gear' hosts James May and Richard Hammond, from making a rival car show on a UK channel for two years," The Daily Mirror said.
With this development, Netflix and Amazon are now the frontrunners competing for the new show.
"It means Netflix or Amazon are favorites to sign up the team. There is a feeling that if they wait two years, it gives Chris Evans a chance to get his new 'Top Gear' show off and running," an insider explained.
But Clarkson, Hammond and May can't just toss ITV to the side as the broadcaster has reportedly "made them a good offer."
Auto Week also pointed out that a Jeremy Clarkson Netflix show "may not recapture the 150-million-strong audience that the trio had in their time on 'Top Gear'" because of accessibility and distribution issues.
Last month, Franchise Herald reported that Jeremy Clarkson's new show is set to be unveiled in the next few weeks. We also said ITV bosses wanted it to rival Evan's "Top Gear" on the same timeslot. However, an insider said the trio, along with EP Andy Wilman, are "very close" to signing a "big money deal" with Netflix.
Clarkson himself seem to confirm these talks. The Daily Mirror reported the 55-year-old host had given up drinking at night to negotiate with "Californians."
"While I try to find a new job, I've reassessed my drinking strategy. Californians have a habit of ringing at 11 p.m. and I couldn't think straight as they do with their leaves and mineral water existence if I was halfway through my third bottle of Leoube."
Netflix and Hulu are both based in the state but the latter has not been mentioned in talks about Jeremy Clarkson's new show. Although Amazon was mentioned, they are based in Seattle.
