Animated endeavors can make for a whole lot of money, as well as a whole lot of original content. Amazon knows this, and recently signed on for a couple of brand new animated programs. However, on Monday, Netflix announced the streaming subscription service has entered into an even more ideal sort of partnership with Dreamworks Animation, the studio behind Shrek, How To Train Your Dragon, and yes, the forgettable Rise of the Guardians.
Up to this point, Netflix has signed on for original programming individually. Shows like Lilyhammer eventually made a name for themselves as part of the service, and later Netflix premiered the successful shows House of Cards and Arrested Development. It’s safe to say that Netflix’s format, which allows an entire season of episodes to be released at the same time, works for streaming users, and with this vote of confidence Netflix and Dreamworks Animation have entered into the biggest partnership for the streaming service, yet.
The large deal has Netflix and Dreamworks Animation working together on over 300 hours of original content, a partnership which is expected to begin airing content in 2014. Back in February, the two companies actually signed on for their first ever children’s program, Turbo F.A.S.T, which is still expected to be the first animated display the two companies roll out. That program will hit the schedule next December. In addition to populating the Netflix schedule with “some of the most popular animated characters in history,” Netflix will also get exclusive runs of Dreamworks Animation films, starting with The Croods. That’s a big win for the streaming service, which has frequently found themselves competing for exclusives of that ilk.
Not that the deal is too shabby for Dreamworks Animation, which is hoping to expand into television as a viable means to make money for the company. The partnership could be a really good thing for the company, which saw 350 layoffs after Rise of the Guardian lost major money at the box office. If the company can have a viable income both from feature films and from television content, hopefully it will also avoid big layoff headlines in the future.
Interestingly, the partnership will not only roll out content on Netflix in the U.S. The partnership will actually allow content to air across the 40 countries which currently have access to the subscription streaming service. So, if you are a Dreamworks Animation lover and a Netflix subscriber, you should have no trouble accessing any of the two companies’ collaborations, beginning in 2014.
