Netflix has signed a new licensing agreement with Disney-ABC, adding tons of new content to their Watch Instantly streaming service.
For the first time ever, Disney has added ABC Family content to the streaming library.
Newer first-run content will be available 15 days after initial telecast.
Part of the new agreement are “prior season episodes of current ABC hit series “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Desperate Housewives” and, for the first time on Netflix, “Brothers & Sisters.”
Furthermore, Netflix will have all seasons of “Scrubs,” “Lost,” Ugly Betty” and “Reaper.”
From the Disney Channel comes more episodes of “Phineas and Ferb,” “Good Luck Charlie,” “The Suite Life on Deck” and “Wizards of Waverly Place.”
Finally, from ABC Family comes the catalogs of “Greek,” “Make It or Break It,” “The Secret Life of the American Teenager” and “Melissa & Joey.”
Result for: streaming service
The New York Post has reported today that Netflix is prepared to pay up to $100,000 per episode for the ability to stream in-season TV shows, such as current episodes of hits like “Glee” and “The Office.”
If accurate, the move will position Netflix next to Hulu as the premier destination to view TV episodes from current running seasons.
In October, Netflix announced it had signed a deal with NBCU to bring full back catalogs of hit shows like “30 Rock,” “The Office,” and others to the streaming service, as well as a deal that gives Netflix the right to stream “Saturday Night Live” the day after it airs on TV.
Netflix recently began offering a streaming-only service for $8 per month in the U.S., the first time the company has offered a deal that does not include physical media rentals.
The company has spent close to $1 billion on streaming rights over the past years, placing a big bet on the future of streaming.
Result for: streaming service
Google is currently in talks with Filmyard Holdings in an effort to purchase the digital rights to Miramax’s extensive movie archive.
The rights would help Google give YouTube a larger collection of feature-length content, which it currently lacks.
Miramax has over 700 films in its catalog.
Although unconfirmed, Netflix has been said to be in talks with Miramax, as well, trying to secure the rights to add the library to its “Watch Instantly” streaming service. Netflix currently offers 20,000 movies and TV shows.
Miramax was just sold earlier this year by Disney for $660 million.
YouTube has said recently that 36 hours of video are posted every minute to the video sharing site.
