Netflix gets exclusive Walking Dead streaming rights, more
updated 11:40 am EDT, Fri October 7, 2011
Netflix makes AMC deal for Walking Dead, more
Netflix on Friday announced a deal with AMC Networks for a multi-year licensing agreement that will make prior seasons of the AMC series The Walking Dead exclusive to the video streaming service. The first season is available to Netflix subscribers in the US and Canada starting Friday, October 7. New, second-season episodes will stream to Netflix members just before the premiere of following seasons.
The deal also covers other shows from AMC, though the rights aren't exclusive. These include IFC's Portlandia and The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret along with WE TV's Braxton Family Values, My Fair Wedding, and Bridezillas. The Sundance Channel's All On The Line with Joe Zee and Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys are also part of the agreement.
Financial details of the deal weren't revealed, however.
Netflix has been making increasingly larger deals for content and already had a deal for AMC's Mad Men. Now that the service is separate from DVDs, it will depend heavily on major content deals to keep viewers coming. Such alliances also help mitigate attempts by cable-dependent studios like Starz to withhold content to try and protect legacy TV deals.
