It’s almost two years since Netflix last inked its streaming deal with CBS in the States, making the VOD platform the only streaming provider to offer content from the so-called ‘big four’ – ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox.
Now, CBS and Netflix are extending the deal in some of its international territories, including Canada, Latin America, the UK and Ireland. It’s worth noting that CBS and Netflix have previously penned deals for Canada and Latin America.
While full terms of the individual agreements have not yet been disclosed, it will mean that Netflix members will be able to watch the likes of Showtime’s Dexter, as well as library broadcasts of Charmed, Jericho and The 4400. Previous seasons of other series will be available depending on each specific territory, including The Good Wife and – wait for it – Hawaii Five-o, as well as House of Lies and The Borgias.
While Netflix started off life in the US, it has been steadily expanding into other territories. It’s currently available in 51 countries, with Latin America the first region outside of North America getting the service in September last year, followed by its launch in the UK & Ireland and then the Nordic countries of Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland were the last. As some recent job-postings hinted, we could be seeing a much bigger launch soon with Germany, Turkey, India, Korea and Japan possibly thrown into the mix.
In terms of how this latest CBS expanded agreement will benefit its members around the world, last week we reported that Netflix has more than 30 million members globally, 25 million of whom are in the US. This means that it has around five million members in Canada, Latin America the United Kingdom, Ireland and Scandinavia. So with 83% of its members in the US, Netflix is working hard to balance this ratio by bolstering its content outside its core home market.
“We are delighted to be bringing more great CBS and Showtime series to our members throughout the world,” says Ted Sarandos, Netflix Chief Content Officer. “Our goal is to give Netflix members a broad mix of engaging shows to watch, and this extended agreement does just that.”
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