Amazon hands over $25M for Rihanna documentary: Report

A major player in the streaming wars has reportedly claimed the worldwide rights for an untitled documentary centered on the Grammy award-winning singer Rihanna.

Amazon doled out $25 million for the documentary directed by Peter Berg in a move that is said to bolster its streaming service platform, according to Billboard, citing unnamed sources.

This comes as the streaming wars near a fever pitch and viewers are being targeted from every vantage point across various services including Apple TV+, Disney+, Netflix and Amazon.

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“Peter Berg’s bold and innovative Rihanna is an unfiltered look into Rihanna's life, providing a glimpse into the evolution of one of the world’s most well-known pop artists,” Berg’s production company, Film45, said on its website.

During the production process, Berg was given “unparalleled access” into Rihanna's world where he was able to compile over 1,200 hours of footage for the project, according to Film45.

“The doc takes us on a journey through private insights into Rihanna’s personality and humor, philosophies on work, family and love that are both moving and inspirational."

- Film45, Peter Berg's non-scripted entertainment production company 

Amazon has not returned FOX Business’ request for comment.

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Berg has been working on the documentary for years, spending an immense amount of time in recording studios.

“I’ve never experienced hours like that team goes."

- Peter Berg, in a 2018 interview on Hot 97, a New York City radio station

In 2018, Berg revealed to SlashFilm how impressed he was with the “extraordinary young woman” and how hard she works.

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“I think she’s an extraordinary young woman and it really is kind of a pretty comprehensive profile of what goes into making her this talent that she is," he told the outlet. “The work ethic, the talent, luck, the hustle, the vision. She’s a really, really interesting woman and the movie will be out in about a month and half, two months we’ll be able to start showing it.”

Last week, Apple TV+ executed a similar $25 million deal for a documentary centered around the 17-year-old singer Billie Eilish, which was produced and directed by the artist’s label, Interscope Records.

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Both Rihanna and Eilish's documentaries were showcased to multiple distributors where streaming services went neck and neck, competing for the biggest bid, according to Billboard.

In May, Endeavor Content, which reportedly swung the deal with Amazon, began showing footage of the untitled Rihanna documentary in Cannes. Endeavor reportedly represents both Berg and Rihanna.

Eilish's documentary, which is said to follow the 17-year-old following the release of her album "When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?", is expected to premiere sometime in 2020, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

It is still unclear when Rihanna's documentary will be released on the streaming service.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.