Netflix Signs New Global Pay-1 Deal With Sony Pictures Entertainment
Netflix and Sony have announced that they have signed a new multi-year global Pay-1 licensing deal to bring Sony Pictures Entertainment movies (which include Marvel’s “Spider-Man” movies), to Netflix following their full theatrical and home entertainment windows.
The new global Pay-1 arrangement will roll out gradually, starting later this year as individual territory rights become available, with full global availability on Netflix in early 2029. As part of this deal, Netflix will also license rights to select SPE feature film and television library titles, so we could see more of Sony’s Marvel films like “Spider-Man”, “Venom” and others heading to Netflix.
This is an expansion of an existing deal, as Netflix currently has Pay-1 rights to Sony’s feature films in select territories, including the U.S., Germany, and across Southeast Asia.
Disney currently has a deal in place with Sony for its Pay-2 rights for the United States, which is why some of Sony’s Marvel films are currently available on Disney+ and Hulu.
Lauren Smith, Vice President of Licensing and Programming Strategy at Netflix, said in a statement regarding the deal:
“Our members all over the world love movies and giving them exclusive access to Sony’s much loved films adds incredible value to their subscriptions. Sony’s impressive slate of iconic film franchises like Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and originals like Anyone But You have been popular with our U.S. audience and now we’re excited to expand that offering to our members all around the world.”
Paul Littmann, EVP of Global Distribution, Sony Pictures Television, also added:
“Our partnership with Netflix has always been incredibly valuable. This new Pay-1 deal takes that partnership to the next level and reinforces the enduring appeal of our theatrical releases to Netflix’s global audience. It also further underscores the strength of our independence and unique ability to create meaningful opportunities that benefit our creative stakeholders, consumers, and world-class partners.”
Some of the first SPE feature film titles that will stream on Netflix as part of the new deal include “The Nightingale”, the highly anticipated adaptation of Kristin Hannah’s global sensation starring Dakota and Elle Fanning together for the first time; Sony Pictures Animation’s “Buds”; Nintendo’s live-action “The Legend of Zelda”; “Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse”, the conclusion to the groundbreaking Spider-Verse trilogy; and Academy Award-winner Sam Mendes’ audacious quartet of Beatles films.
Roger’s Take: This is another big win for Netflix, securing more rights to major theatrical releases, while also getting access to some of Sony’s legacy titles. It’s also great to see Netflix making more global deals, as this just makes it much simpler for audiences around the world to understand where things are available, since the internet can be a little confusing with conflicting information, especially for some of the “Spider-Man” films.
With the combination of Netflix’s own original films, the addition of Sony and potentially Warner Bros Discovery movies in the future, Netflix is drastically ramping up its movie slate for streaming.
One thing that was interesting, was that the press release from Netflix, makes a lot of fuss over the animated “Spider-Man” film, it makes no mention of future live-action “Spider-Man” films. The next instalment, “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” would likely fall under the existing deal, but could we see Marvel and Sony make a separate deal for these titles to head to Disney+ or possibly share them with Netflix? And will Disney try to nab the global Pay-2 window rights deal for Disney+?
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