Netflix signs Reservoir Dogs film firm for UK streaming
Lionsgate joins MGM
Netflix has won the agreement of Lionsgate Films to stream the movie distributor's offerings to its UK subscribers when it launches over here in 2012.
Earlier this month Netflix announced a UK streaming deal with MGM, and it is believed to be talking to ITV too.
Heck, it's talking to everyone. You don't set up in opposition to the well-established Amazon subsidiary Lovefilm without making sure you have a comparable quantity of content to offer.
It's not yet clear whether Netflix UK will also provided DVDs through the post, as Lovefilm does. Netflix did attempt to split into two services - streaming and DVD rentals - in the US, but this met with widespread subscriber resistance, and it was forced to re-integrate the services.
That said, Netflix has said that streaming is the future, so it may well focus on that aspect when it launches in the UK. For the moment, it's keeping its cards close to its chest.
Lovefilm has started offering subscribers extra discs at no further cost in a bad to shore up their support for the service. ®
COMMENTS
Streaming = shite.
The quality is awful.
I'll stick with films by post thanks very much, and have the occasional streaming on demand on the PS3 if I want it.
FAIL because anyone with a HDTV streaming poor quality content is EPIC FAIL. Infact the whole industry is EPIC FAIL as those anti-piracy trailers are the cinema showing crap picture quality, that's exactly what they are offering up..
re:Streaming = shite
Considering even YouTube offers HD I'm not sure what you're basing this on. LoveFilm and 4OD might be poor but iPlayer and Netflix (US version) are better - the latter letting you choose the bit-rate.
So we'll be able to stream Red State then? that's ace!
But then again, but the time Netflix launches, I'll have bought the film on blu-ray, so won't have to stream it.
Oh well.
Studios do want money they get it from... Sky exclusivity
The reason that the movie streaming options of movies less than about 3 years old is not available is that Sky has the subscription and Pay Per View exclusivity for the window between about 12 months after cinema release and this time. Pay per view is not exclusive in the earliest window.
Ofcom is looking into the issue but I wouldn't expect them to do anything quickly so unless alternative opportunities can offer more potential profit to the studios than the existing exclusivity deal from Sky I wouldn't expect to see a massive change any time soon.
Netflix will probably end up with a very similar range of content to Lovefilm.
There might be some content not already locked up that proves valuable
