Rich Fiscus
15 Jul 2010 13:01
Netflix is expanding its lineup of TV shows available for streaming through their Watch Instantly service thanks to a new agreement with Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. The deal will make all 100 episodes of Nip/Tuck available to Netflix subscribers for the next four years.
Also included in the agreement, which really just extends the two companies' existing arrangement, are other TV series, including Veronica Mars, Pushing Daisies & Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.
The existing license for streaming a selection of Warner's catalog movie titles has also been renewed for the same four year period.
A deal made earlier this year, which forces Netflix customers to wait 28 days from the DVD/Blu-ray release date to get Warner Bros. new releases on disc remains in place. In fact, increased availability of streaming content was almost certainly a factor in Netflix's decision to make such a deal.
As they continue to improve their streaming lineup this is likely to be less and less important to them. Although disc rentals continue to be the cornerstone of their business, Netflix executives have made it clear in recent years that they believe streaming will eventually replace it.
This deal, as well as the one recently announced with Relativity Media, are significant steps in addressing what is currently Watch Instantly's biggest weakness; the availability of recent and popular titles.