Video-on-demand service Netflix has struck a deal with animation studio Dreamworks to partner on 300 hours of original programming and attain first-run rights to its feature catalogue.
The deal is an important good news story for Netflix, which lost over 1,700 Warner Bros. titles in May and the rights to children’s TV stalwart Nickelodeon, as it signed an exclusive deal with Amazon.
Dreamworks’ deal with cable TV channel HBO expired earlier this year, leaving it a free agent in terms of which service to move to next.
This game of musical chairs basically carves up the on-demand market between Amazon and Netflix with HBO happy to continue its own premium package and rely on its catalogue of drama and comedy shows including The Sopranos, True Blood and Girls.
Netflix has fared well since entering into original content in 2012 with Lilyhammer starring former Sopranos actor Steven Van Zandt. It has since has gone on to win critical plaudits for its adaptation of the BBC drama House of Cards and the return of sitcom Arrested Development.
Unlike broadcast channels, Netflix puts entire series live so viewers can ‘binge watch’ instead of having to wait for weekly instalments.
So what kind of shows can subscribers expect to see in the near future? One confirmed project is an adaptation of the forthcoming film Turbo. Recent successful properties like The Croods could also be in line for some kind of spin-off as per The Penguins of Madagasgar. As for films, the rest of Dreamworks’ catalogue includes the features Kung Fu Panda, Megamind and Antz.
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