Netflix will bring even more Universal films to its lineup thanks to a new deal that will send the studio’s live-action movies to the streamer starting in 2027. Under the agreement, Universal and Focus Features’ live-action titles will appear on Netflix no later than eight months after their release in theaters. The new arrangement also includes renewing their exclusive licensing agreement for animated films from the Universal-owned Illumination and DreamWorks Animation (DWA).
Netflix will get to stream Universal’s live-action films exclusively for 10 months following its debut on Peacock — but the movies will return to the NBC-owned service at the end of this window. This will eventually replace Amazon’s existing deal with the studio that started in 2022, as Netflix and NBCUniversal draw closer despite streaming similar kinds of content like live NFL games and the WWE’s impending shift from NBCUniversal to Netflix next year.
Peacock raised the price of its service in July and reported losing 500,000 subscribers in the months prior.
Netflix and Universal’s existing arrangement had brought films like The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Sing 2, The Secret Life of Pets, and Kung Fu Panda 4 to Netflix. Now that the agreement has been renewed, we’ll see even more upcoming animated films, such as The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2, Shrek 5, and Minions 3, arrive on the streaming service in the future. Netflix has also secured the rights to “select” titles from Universal’s film library.
As part of its earnings report earlier this month, Netflix emphasized the importance of offering a “breadth of content” to viewers. It said the company’s goal is to ensure it has “a steady drumbeat of great, new TV shows, movies and games throughout the year.”
Disclosure: Comcast is an investor in Vox Media, The Verge’s parent company.
(Originally posted by Emma Roth)