Disney-ABC TV Signs New Streaming Deal With Amazon, Expands Netflix
Disney-ABC Television just announced on Monday its new streaming agreement with Amazon.com and a renewed licensing deal with Netflix, a move beneficial to both subscribers and streaming service providers.
In the new Amazon deal, Prime members will be able to instantly stream a wide selection of content from ABC Studios, Disney Channel, ABC Family and Marvel, much like their struggling rival Netflix.
Amazon’s subscription-based unlimited streaming service has been rapidly growing to compete with other online media providers, adding more than 11,000 titles to their library since February.
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Now with the new agreement, 800 Disney-ABC TV titles will be added to its library for subscribers. The company plans to have nearly 13,000 titles available in Prime instant video by early next year, according to Brad Beale, director of video content acquisition for Amazon.
“We are excited to add some of the very best content available from Disney-ABC to Prime instant video. This includes every episode of past seasons from the ABC hits Lost and Grey’s Anatomy, fan favorites like Felicity and Greek, the popular Disney Channel Phineas & Ferb and great animated series from Marvel,” he shared in a statement.
All of the TV shows can be viewed on more than 300 different devices, including the recently announced Kindle Fire.
“We’re working hard to add even more selection for Kindle Fire customers and Prime members leading up to the holidays,” Beale added.
The latest offerings through the Disney-ABC TV deal include: all episodes of ABC’s “Lost” and “Felicity;” prior seasons of ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” and Disney Channel’s popular animated series “Phineas and Ferb;” prior seasons of “The Secret Life of the American Teenager” including the most recently aired episodes from summer 2011; prior seasons of Marvel’s animated shows “Spider-Man,” “X-Men Evolution,” “Thor & Loki: Blood Brothers” and “Iron Man: Extremis,” and all episodes of ABC Family’s “Greek.”
In the extended Netflix deal, much of the available content will be similar to Amazon’s, with a few added shows and extensions.
All episodes of “Brothers & Sisters” and “Ugly Betty” will be available on Netflix, as well as prior seasons of “Private Practice,” “Army Wives” and “Desperate Housewives.”
Episodes from new seasons of current Disney-ABC series like “Grey’s Anatomy” will also be on Netflix 30 days after they air.
Other titles that will be extended in the service include: “Melissa & Joey,” “Make It or Break It,” “Good Luck Charlie,” “The Suite Life on Deck,” and “Hannah Montana.”
Additionally, new content will be added to Netflix including: ABC Family’s hit series “Switched at Birth,” prior season episodes of animated series “Kick Buttowski,” and all episodes of ABC thriller “Alias.”
“Disney and ABC have been and continue to be an innovative and supportive partner for Netflix,” Ted Sarandos, chief content officer at Netflix, said in a statement.
“The diverse but always excellent programming from different channels and networks are favorites of our members and we are thrilled to broaden the scope and extend the terms of our relationship.”
The recent deal is good news for Netflix, which recently saw its stock price plunge 35 percent last Monday, having lost 800,000 subscriptions due to changes in subscription plans and prices.
“The bigger takeaway, I think, is that the content companies come out ahead,” Tony Wible, a Janney Capital Markets analyst who covers Netflix, told The Wall Street Journal.
