Even though an episode has yet to hit the airwaves, Gotham has already made Fox a lot of money.
That’s because Netflix yesterday announced that they had purchased the global delivery rights to the new series, and will be the only place to (legally) watch the first season after it airs in the United States. The deal is atypical for two reasons: the first is that the show doesn’t start for almost three more weeks, and the second is that usually these deals are made on a country-by-country basis rather than for the entire world.
After signing a similar agreement for $2 million per episode for The Blacklist last week, Netflix is now paying about the same for Gotham. These types of deals—along with increased competition from Amazon and Hulu for streaming content—could set a precedent that makes this practice of paying a ton of money for distribution rights pretty normal going forward.
It seems like quite a gamble by Netflix, given that nobody really knows if the series is going to even be popular. Not having Batman involved could make Gotham a major disappointment, and Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie) doesn’t come across as the strongest of heroes. Then again, he does have cage fighting experience, so perhaps he shouldn’t be underestimated.
[via Variety]
