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Netflix wins first-show TV rights to Disney flicks

IPTV deal puts future Star Wars movies on Xboxes, PS3s, TVs, tablets

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Netflix is to become Disney’s exclusive pay-television partner from 2016 in a deal that gives it first pick of all of the studio’s new films, from future Pixar and Marvel hits to the second and third instalments of the new Star Wars trilogy.

Terms of the deal, which only covers the US, were not disclosed, but the Financial Times estimates Netflix will pay Disney in the region of $200-300 million (£124-186m) a year.

The move isn't just about money for Disney. Its new films currently make their first television appearance on Starz, a cable TV channel. When Netflix takes over, Disney's movies will get to TV screens via the internet. This establishes IPTV as a peer of broadcast TV.

As such it's big vote of confidence in Netflix and video on demand. This is Disney accepting that punters want to view films when they want to watch them, not when channels want to transmit them.

And Netflix users are voracious telly addicts. According to GfK, a market watcher, the average Netflix subscriber watches more than five TV shows and three and a half films a week.

Netflix says it has 30 million subscribers worldwide. It will gain first pay-TV rights to new Dreamworks pictures in 2013. ®

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Re: which only covers the US

Try establishing a VPN connection to the US. The both the series of the new BBC version of Sherlock is available on Netflix. Try going through a UK connection without any VPN connection and suddenly thes programs disappear.

I know that the BBC doesn't pay for all right to programs otherwise it would cost far too much, but there is something wrong when British programs made in Britain with British licence fee funds aren't available in Britain but are viewable elsewhere.

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Said it before

There needs to be legislation to make force movie houses to release their content on FRAND terms. after all, they want every protection known to man for their content so its only fair they release it fairly. This exclusive crap makes my blood boil.

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Howard The Duck...

Finally available on Netflix!!!

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