There’s a paid streaming service reportedly in talks for The CW, the television network commonly associated these days with shows like Arrow and The Flash, among others.
According to Bloomberg, CBS and Warner Bros. — the companies that jointly own the network — had conducted preliminary talks on setting up a paid streaming service specifically for The CW. Considering the general success of The Flash, Jane the Virgin and more, it’s not shocking that there’d be discussions about capitalizing on the current trend of standalone subscription streaming.
As of right now, Netflix has rights to the past seasons of The CW shows like Arrow, and Hulu’s got a deal going for the currently-airing stuff. So, folks can watch last season of iZombie on Netflix but have to hit Hulu up for anything recent. However, those streaming deals don’t last forever, and at least Netflix’s agreement with The CW is set to come to term soon.
That could spell bad news for anyone who’s looking to binge on something from The CW in the near future. The paid subscription streaming service, reportedly aiming for somewhere between $2 and $4 a month, would likely mean the end to streaming elsewhere. If CBS and Warner Bros. are going to launch a streaming service, chances are they will want to focus on getting eyeballs on their own product rather than dilute it.
There’s a chance this report is a way of testing the waters. Folks at CBS and Warner Bros. are almost certainly paying close attention to how the public’s reacting to the news of a potential standalone streaming service. There’s also a chance that they run the numbers and ultimately decide against it. $2 to $4 isn’t a whole lot of cash per month, but it adds up, and it’s only the one network.
However, don’t be surprised if Arrow and The Flash disappear from Netflix in the coming months.
Via: Polygon
