Netflix is planning big changes over the coming months, starting off with the announcement that it will not be renewing its licensing contract with Epix at the end of September. This means the end of the show for many big name Hollywood movies, such as The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Transformers: Age of Extinction and World War Z, to name a few.
However, not all is lost for movie buffs who still want to catch those flicks on streaming movie services. It seems Hulu has stepped up to fill the void. Only a few hours after Netflix announced it would not be renewing its deal with Epix, Hulu made an announcement of its own to unveil the details of an agreement it made with the movie provider which licenses high-profile movies through joint ventures with Paramount, MGM, Lionsgate and others
Movies which are licensed by Epix will be available on Hulu through a multi-year exclusive deal between the companies beginning on Oct. 1.
Craig Erwich, Senior VP and head of content for Hulu, said that the deal is a landmark achievement for Hulu and allows them to offer more in-demand content for their customers' on-demand.
"Hulu already offers some of the best and biggest titles in television programming but our subscribers have been asking us for more, and more recent, big movies. We listened. Through this new deal with Epix, we are proud to now be able to offer a huge selection of the biggest blockbusters and premium films," he said.
Meanwhile, Netflix bids farewell to Epix after years of providing movies together. Netflix originally started with an exclusive deal with Epix in 2010, which lasted until 2012. In that year, Epix entered into a contract with Amazon and gave Netflix more competition in the streaming movie market.
However, Netflix assures its customers that they are not missing out on movies and quality programming even if the contract with Epix is not going to be renewed. According to Ted Sarandos, chief content officer of Netflix, the company is working to bring newer content to its service faster and even simultaneously with theatrical releases of some movies.
"Through our original films and some innovative licensing arrangements with the movie studios, we are aiming to build a better movie experience for you," Sarandos said in a blog post on Netflix.
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