Sony hasn’t shown signs of wanting to enter the streaming wars. While Warner Bros, Disney and Universal all attempt to make a name for themselves with their own streaming service, Sony Pictures instead looks to join forces with an already established giant.
Sony will team with Netflix for a “multi-year, exclusive first pay window licensing deal” in the United States. This deal will allow Netflix first pay window rights to Sony Pictures titles following their theatrical and home entertainment windows. For reference, a typical “pay one window” is currently 18 months.
“At Sony Pictures, we produce some of the biggest blockbusters and the most creative, original films in the industry. This exciting agreement further demonstrates the importance of that content to our distribution partners as they grow their audiences and deliver the very best in entertainment,” said Keith Le Goy, Sony’s president of worldwide distribution.
Netflix’s Scott Stuber adds: “This not only allows us to bring their impressive slate of beloved film franchises and new IP to Netflix in the U.S., but it also establishes a new source of first-run films for Netflix movie lovers worldwide.”
This deal, beginning in 2022, will see massive Sony films like Morbius, Uncharted, and even Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse 2 heading to Netflix after their theatrical runs. Netflix will also have the ability to license the rights to select titles from Sony’s library, including previous Spider-Man films and Columbia’s nearly century-old film line-up.
