Hey Yo, Draven here.
Here is some pretty exciting news. The Weinstein Company and Netflix announced today that they have made a deal where TWC will premiere first run films exclusively on Netflix, starting in 2016. Here is the official press release:
Beverly Hills, Calif. – August 20, 2013 – Netflix Inc. and The Weinstein Company today announced a new multi-year licensing agreement that will make Netflix the exclusive U.S. subscription television service for first-run films from TWC beginning in 2016.
Starting with its 2016 theatrically released feature films, new TWC and Dimension Films titles will be made available for Netflix members to watch instantly in the pay TV window on multiple platforms, including televisions, tablets, mobile phones and computers.
Netflix is already the Pay TV home to TWC documentaries and foreign films, including the Academy Award winning Best Picture, The Artist, and Best Documentary Feature, Undefeated, as well as to a wide-range of movies released by multi-platform distribution label RADiUS-TWC.
“Harvey and Bob Weinstein are in a class to themselves when it comes to choosing and producing the best films in the world,” said Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer for Netflix. “They are as innovative in business as they are creative in their storytelling. We look forward to reinventing the pay TV window with the Weinsteins.”
“The deal that we’ve just completed with Netflix is probably the biggest deal in the history of The Weinstein Company and together, we are discussing ways to reinvent the pay TV experience so that the audience can get even more for their money,” said Harvey Weinstein. “Their enthusiasm for movies of all kinds was the big factor in our choosing Netflix. Moving forward when people see The Weinstein Company name on a movie they know that our pay TV partner is the most significant new force in the entertainment industry – Netflix.”
TWC is one of the biggest players when it comes to indie acquisitions and award contenders, so this is pretty big news. It is just one more sign that the future seems to be heading towards VOD premieres and I would expect similar deals like this to be made in the near future.
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