This exclusive deal will gradually roll out later this year.
Last Thursday, January 15, streaming giant Netflix and content production powerhouse Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) announced they have reached a deal for the landmark exclusive, multi-year global Pay-1 licensing agreement—which refers to the first post-theatrical streaming window for movies.
Through which, SPE’s feature films will stream on Netflix worldwide following their full theatrical and home entertainment windows, which is heralded as a first in the industry under the Pay-1 scheme.
The new arrangement will roll out gradually starting later this year as individual territory rights become available, with full global availability on Netflix in early 2029, according to the platform.
“As part of this deal, Netflix will also license rights to select SPE feature film and television library titles,” it added.
At present, Netflix already holds Pay-1 rights to SPE’s feature films in select territories including the U.S., Germany, and across Southeast Asia, with films including Uncharted, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, It Ends With Us, Anyone But You, and Venom: The Last Dance.
Some of the first SPE feature film titles that will stream on Netflix as part of the new deal include The Nightingale, Sony Pictures Animation’s Buds, Nintendo’s live-action The Legend of Zelda, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse—which is the conclusion to the Spider-Verse trilogy, and Academy Award-winner Sam Mendes’ quartet of Beatles films.
Lauren Smith, Vice President of Licensing and Programming Strategy at Netflix, told: “Our members all over the world love movies and giving them exclusive access to Sony’s much loved films adds incredible value to their subscriptions.”
She added the impressive slate of iconic film franchises like Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and originals like Anyone But You have been popular with their U.S. audience, “and now we’re excited to expand that offering to our members all around the world.”
For his part, Sony Pictures Television Global Distribution EVP Paul Littman emphasized, “Our partnership with Netflix has always been incredibly valuable.”
“This new Pay-1 deal takes that partnership to the next level and reinforces the enduring appeal of our theatrical releases to Netflix’s global audience,” adding that it underscores the strength of Sony’s independence and unique ability to “create meaningful opportunities that benefit our creative stakeholders, consumers, and world-class partners.”