This may be a first.
Netflix has been on a shopping spree lately. Bolstered by its successes with "House of Cards" and "Orange Is the New Black," the streaming service has been announcing new shows and broadcast series acquisitions on a nearly weekly basis of late. Most recently, the company announced that it will be the exclusive home to hit BBC drama "Happy Valley" and NBC's "The Blacklist."
Its next big acquisition is the upcoming Fox series, "Gotham." Telling the early origin story of the city and her colorful cast of characters long before Bruce Wayne dons his famous cape and cowl, the show is set to premiere on September 22, 2014. Netflix will begin airing the series following the conclusion of its first season in 2015. Assuming it's renewed for further seasons, Netflix will have the rights to those as well.
It may not be the first time Netflix has made a deal to acquire streaming rights for a new show, but it's probably the first time they've paid out handsomely for a show that hasn't even been broadcast yet. Deadline believes Netflix may be paying as much as $1.75 million per episode of "Gotham." That puts it in striking distance of Netflix's $2 million per-episode fee for "The Blacklist."
"Gotham is the most anticipated new series of the fall season and we are thrilled to offer it to our members around the world," said Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos. "The Batman origin story is sure to have massive global appeal so it is fitting that, along with Warner Television, we have created a new model for distributing a show that international and domestic audiences will love."
We'll see if the gamble pays off for Netflix as the ratings for "Gotham" begin to roll in after the premiere.
