Remember “Streamageddon”? A couple of years back, via a bit of unfortunate timing, Netflix lost a giant chunk of its streaming library, causing widespread complaints and some degree of panic among its members. But that social media tempest was ultimately something of a net gain; even casual users became aware of how the specifics of various deals and licensing agreements resulted in the flux of the streaming giant’s library, and these days, “What’s coming to Netflix this month” and “What’s leaving Netflix this month” posts across the web have become par for the online viewing course (and free advertising for the service to boot).
But next month’s dump is looking severe enough to prompt a warning on the official Netflix blog, and for good reason: the company’s not renewing its deal with Epix, which means a number of big movies (including entries in the Hunger Games and Transformers series) will disappear. “We hear from our members that you wish we had newer movies,” writes Chief Content Officer Ted Sardanos. “So do we.” And he then proceeds to describe their upcoming slate of original Netflix movies, indicating that perhaps we should have been clearer about what we meant by “newer movies.” But hey, who needs Hunger Games films when you’ve got Adam Sandler films, AM I RIGHT? (I am not right.)
To be fair, Netflix says it’s not an issue of cost, but exclusivity; Sardanos writes, “While many of these movies are popular, they are also widely available on cable and other subscription platforms at the same time as they are on Netflix.” He’s right—you can currently see the movies in question on Amazon Prime. And soon you’ll be able to see them on Hulu as well. No sooner had Netflix hit “publish” to announce the end of their Epix deal than word leaked that Epix was inking a deal with Hulu to stream the very movies Netflix would lose. That deal has been confirmed by Hulu, which head of content Craig Erwich calls “a landmark deal” that “marks a huge expansion for our offer of premium programming.”
But hey, at least us Netflix subscribers will have The Ridiculous Six , am I right? (See previous paren.)