Netflix will get more huge movies and shows from the likes of Hulu and HBO soon – but it’s not planning to return the favor
Studios need money. Netflix needs shows. You can guess where this is going…
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We’ve got good news forNetflixsubscribers: your viewing choices are about to get wider. Studios that have previously kept their shows to themselves are starting to license to Netflix again – and while they’re not giving away their crown jewels, there are still going to be some welcome additions.
AsThe New York Timesreports [paywall], studios including Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery are softening their no-Netflix stances. They’re not going to be licensing shows likeGame of Thronesor theStar Warsmovies to Netflix, but series such asYoung Sheldonand blockbuster movies includingDuneandPrometheusare being sent to the streamer in exchange for cash.
This seems like a win-win-win situation. Netflix gets more movies and shows, which makes its offering more compelling. Studios get more money. And we get more choice on thebest streaming service.
What’s with the studios' change of strategy?
As you know, back in the early days of streaming it felt like Netflix had absolutely everything. Chances were, if a show or movie was available to stream, it was available to stream from Netflix. But then many studios had a change of heart and decided that they’d much rather have their own separate streaming services, so they started keeping their shows to themselves.
Several years on, it seems that that might not have been the best strategy. As The New York Times points out, “most streaming services don’t make money” and Netflix has more than double the subscribers of Warner Bros. Discovery’sMax. So rather than keep all their content to themselves, studios are increasingly open to licensing it to rivals too.
The publication goes on to say that some of thebest Disney Plus showsincludingPrison Break, This Is Us, How I Met Your Mother, Lostand more in the coming months. This isn’t the only licensing deal Netflix has – it currently has limited licenses for movies fromSonyPictures and Universal Pictures – and the deals won’t necessarily be exclusive to Netflix either. Many titles will also be available onAmazonand the Disney-ownedHulu.
One interesting detail in The New York Times piece is that for the time being at least, all of this traffic is one-way. While Netflix makes its own shows and movies, it doesn’t have a licensing division and doesn’t have any plans to start one. According to CEO Ted Sarandos: “I do think that we can add tremendous value when we license content. [But] I’m not positive that it’s reciprocal.”
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Writer, broadcaster, musician and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall has been writing about tech since 1998, contributing sage advice and odd opinions to all kinds of magazines and websites as well as writing more than a dozen books. Her memoir,Carrie Kills A Man, is on sale now and her next book, about pop music, is out in 2025. She is the singer in Glaswegian rock bandUnquiet Mind.
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