Streaming movie service Netflix and Animation studio DreamWorks announced on Sunday a new partnership that will bring the animation houses successful movie franchises to the company’s streaming movie service.
As part of the deal movies including “Madagascar” and “Shrek” will be offered along with television specials created by the studio, titles such as the Christmas holiday special “Shrek the Halls.”
Under the deal Netflix is expected to pay upwards of $30 million per picture to DreamWorks. The contract marks the first time that a major Hollywood studio has chosen web streaming instead of pay television.
The move is seen as a major win for the web streaming and DVD service who recently lost media provider Starz and more than one million users after changing their price structure to higher levels. Netflix also recently announced a new partnership with Discovery Networks which brings with it the provider’s top shows. Because of their Starz loss the company will lose streaming access for Walt Disney Studios and Sony Pictures Entertainment.
In the meantime DreamWorks won’t even begin streaming their movies to Netflix customers until 2013 at which point three new movies will reach theaters; The Croods, Turbo and Peabody & Sherman.
With Blockbuster, Amazon and Vudu quickly gaining ground against Netflix it will be interesting to see what the company has up their sleeves for their next deal.
Is a deal with Dreamworks that won’t even begin until 2013 enough to make you excited about what Netflix has lined up down the road?
